In a few days (1 August 2012) the control of the sulphur content in fuel oil for ships operating within the designated North American Emission Control Area will be implemented. IMO’s MEPC.1/Circ.723 provides the boundary of the Emission Control Area. After 1 August 2012, the limit value of the sulphur content of any fuel oil used onboard vessels within North America ECA will change from 3.50% m/m to 1.00% m/m.
A 38,000 dwt chemical tanker ‘Bunga Alpinia’ was almost destroyed by fire and explosions yesterday morning, while loading methanol at Labuan. It is believed that the accident was caused by lightning, due to heavy rain during the loading procedures, which resulted in several explosions.
Earlier today MAIB released the Annual Report for 2011 containing information for accident investigations during that period. According to the report there was a wide variety of accidents to merchant vessels investigated during 2011. For the second year in succession there were no UK registered ship losses and the number of accidents, as a ratio of the size of the fleet, was the lowest recorded by MAIB. The number of fatalities on UK registered vessels >100gt has risen slightly compared with 2010, but is still low, and the number of injuries to crew is at its lowest ever level. A further 8 seafarers lost their lives on foreign registered vessels while operating in UK waters, including 6 from the Cook Islands registered bulk carrier Swanland, which sank in heavy weather off the north Wales coast in November.
On the sixty-third session of the Marine Environment Protection Committee (MEPC 63) that took place from 27 February 2012 to 2 March 2012 the following have been discussed/decided.
MARPOL Annexes I, II, IV, V, and VI amendments have been adopted, aiming to enable Small Islands Developing States to comply with requirements regarding reception facilities for ship waste through regional arrangements. The amendments are expected to enter into force on 1 August 2013.
At 10:07 July 14 2012 boxship MSC Flaminia reported that the crew on board had abandoned the vessel, after an explosion and the fire that broke out in one of the cargo holds. Merchant vessels in the area convened to the vessel’s position to provide assistance to MSC Flaminia. The incident took place about 1,000 miles from land mid way between the UK and Canada.
MSC Flaminia on fire (photo taken by the crew of VLCC DS Crown)
This month OGP’s Human factors Sub-Committee (HFSC) released a report on its website based on a study regarding the cognitive issues that are associated with safety and environmental incidents within the oil and gas industry.
Regarding safety issues it should be understood that engineering solutions alone may not be enough to prevent hazardous occurrences, no matter how well designed an engineering system may be. The role that human resources play in the operation of any safety-system is often critical and it requires significant support as well as knowledge and understanding of safety issues. OGP’s study direction is towards a better understanding of the psychological basis of human performance which is critical for safety systems performance, their operation as well as their future improvement.
Sea piracy off the coast of Somalia has dropped dramatically, in part as the result of private security forces accompanying the ships. The German government now wants to regulate their certification.
The German Cabinet has agreed on legislation to introduce a licensing procedure for security companies on board ships. The draft bill determines which requirements these firms have to fulfill if they are protecting German-registered vessels. The government coordinator for the maritime industry, Hans-Joachim Otto, welcomed the decision.
“We want reliable, well-trained security teams, not desperados and mercenaries,” Otto said on Wednesday. Beginning in mid-2013, only licensed companies will be allowed to take over security on German ships.
It appears that one does not simply enforces ECA regulations in Alaska and walks away with it. Last Friday Alaska sued the Obama administration aiming to block EPA in extending the North American Emissions Control Area to Alaska. According to the submitted law suit as of 1st August 2012 vessels operating within 200 miles of the Southeast and Southcentral Alaska coastlines will be required to use fuel with a sulfur content that does not exceed 1,000 parts per million.
The NA-ECA enters into force on August 1, 2012, and would set a 1% limit on the sulphur content of marine fuel, followed by a 0.1% limit in 2015. The proposed Regulations would also implement a regime to control air emissions from Canadian vessels in the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence waters.
Due to significant additional discussions required with the domestic marine industry, the marine air emissions regulatory package will be delayed by a few months and will not come into effect on August 1, 2012, to implement the NA-ECA and standards for Canadian vessels operating in the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence waters.
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Officer of the Watch 