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Date: 6th November 2008

October 2008 - Update on a Busy Month

October 2008 was a busy month for the shipping industry with the 58th session of the International Maritime Organisation’s (IMO) Marine Environment Protection Committee (MEPC) and SIBCON, Singapore’s biannual bunker conference.

MEPC Adopt Revision of ANNEX VI
The most significant outcome of MEPC was the formal adoption of the revision of MARPOL Annex VI and the NOx Technical Code. The final draft was broadly in line with the agreement reached at MEPC in April this year and will reduce the sulphur limit in Emission Control Area’s (ECAs) from 1.50% at present to 1.00% in July 2010 and then to 0.10% from the start of 2015.

Globally, the current 4.50% sulphur limit will fall to 3.50% in 2012, and then to 0.50% in 2020 or 2025 subject to a review in 2018.

So far, only the Baltic Sea and part of the North Sea and the English channel have obtained ECA status under MARPOL Annex VI. According to a source at the IMO, a joint submission from France and Germany proposes to facilitate the designation of further ECAs, which are aimed at reducing the exposure of populations bordering these sea areas from harmful ship emissions.

ISO Encouraged To 'Fast-Track' Next ISO8217 Edition
Also during MEPC58, IMO made it clear that they are keen for the International Organisation for Standardisation (ISO) to “fast track” the next revision of ISO8217, the global marine fuel standard to meet the needs of MARPOL Annex VI. Initially, the ISO working group overseeing revisions of ISO8217 had suggested that the new version would not be ready for at least three years due to complex technical issues. However, the MEPC insisted that it should be ready before July 2010 when the revised version of Marpol Annex VI will come in to force. It ended with the ISO delegation confirming that they would deliver the new version of ISO8217 before July 2010.

New Code of Practice for Bukering to be Implemented in Singapore
Meanwhile, at SIBCON it was announced that a new bunker standard applicable to bunker suppliers and surveyors was to be introduced and enforced in the second half of 2009. The new standard, SS 600:2008 – Code of Practice for Bunkering will replace the two current Codes of Practice, SS CP 60:2004 – Bunkering by Bunker Tankers and SS CP 77:1999 – Bunker Surveying.

Key changes in the new standard include insistence on conformity to International Maritime Organization (IMO) regulations on prevention of air pollution from ships, enhancing sample integrity and standardising all bunkering documents to reduce disputes.

Also during SIBCON, there was a call for fuel testing agencies to work together to identify harmful contaminants in fuel that are not picked up by routine ISO8217 testing yet may cause serious damage to ships engines. It remains to be seen whether the industry does come together on this item but GMT has agreed to contribute should we be called upon. We will keep our clients and friends in the industry of any news.

 

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