The 3rd Annual Green4Sea Forum takes place today in the premises of the Eugenides Foundation in Athens. The Annual Green4Sea is part of SQE’s Safety4Sea project. The Green4Sea forum is a NON PROFIT / PRO BONO event aiming to enhance Environmental Awareness and promote Best Practices in way of Environmental Excellence in the Shipping Industry. This year’s program includes subjects such as Air Emissions & Energy Efficiency, Green Shipping Developments, Ballast Water Management, LNG as a Fuel etc.
The underlying principle of Port State Control procedures is that sampling and analysis of ballast water treated onboard a vessel will not be more stringent than what is currently required for the scope of type approval. Port State Control procedures will be globally implemented when the International Convention on Ballast Water Management becomes effective. Sampling and analysis of ballast water is a complex issue while ships’ inspections are also a matter of concern. Thus IMO recently issued revised guidelines on ballast water sampling for trial use as BWM.2/Circ.42.
The Marine Environment Protection Committee (MEPC) of the International Maritime Organization (IMO) met for its 65th session from 13 to 17 May 2013, at IMO Headquarters in London. Among others the Committee made significant progress in its work on further developing energy-efficiency regulations, adopting a MEPC Resolution on Promotion of Technical Co-operation and Transfer of Technology relating to the Improvement of Energy Efficiency of Ships and giving the go-ahead to carry out an update to the greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions’ estimate for international shipping. Moreover, a draft Assembly resolution to address the implementation of the Ballast Water Management convention has been approved and approved a number of ballast water treatment systems.
If someone wonders why to install a Ballast Water Treatment System, the answer is that it has to do with legislation; one comes from IMO and the other one from USCG. These two are the driving force for all of the suppliers to develop a system and for the shipowners to install a system at some point from today until 2016 and onwards. But before choosing a system, the available technologies have to be checked. I dare to say that nowadays the technologies are pretty mature and there are quite a few of them, so many choices exist for different shipowners, types of vessels and trading routes.
During deballasting of a cargo hold (ballast hold) by gravity, the hatch cover, coamings, and the deck in way of and between hatches suffered major structural damage. The hatch covers were found set down about 100 mm, measured at the transverse joints of the forward and aft panels.
The IMO MEPC held its 64th Session at IMO from Monday 1 through Friday 5 October with a high attendance of about 900 delegates. A Review Group on Ballast Water matters was formed together with 3 Working Groups on the subjects of Ship Recycling, Technical Co-Operation and Transfer of Technology, also Air Pollution and Energy Efficiency. In addition, 2 Drafting Groups studied Amendments to the IBC Code and Interpretations/Reports of sub-committees. Finally, an informal Technical Group met out-of-hours to report on the Saba Bank PSSA. The next MEPC meeting is scheduled during May 2013.
INTERTANKO’s Executive Committee (ExCom) recently held its third meeting for 2012 in Rome, Italy, focusing on the major issues currently facing independent tanker owners such as tanker market sustainability, piracy, ballast water management and air emissions. Participants expressed concern over the state of the tanker industry and the rising costs of shipping, which are considered the most crucial issue facing INTERTANKO’s Members. They noted that, while independent owners acknowledged to have contributed to the problems by over-ordering, current market levels could actually endanger the supply chain element of safe, sustainable transportation of oil, products and chemicals.
On March 23, 2012, the USCG issued Rule regarding Standards for Living Organisms in Ships’ Ballast Water Discharged in U.S. Waters, amending the existing ballast water management (“BWM”) regulations and creating a standard for the allowable concentration of living organisms in ballast water discharged in U.S. waters consistent with the International Maritime Organization’s International Convention for the Control and Management of Ships’ Ballast Water and Sediments (“BWM Convention”).
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Officer of the Watch 