Vessels face ‘early warning system’ ahead of IMO 2020 deadline

The Paris and Tokyo Memoranda of Understanding on port state control organisations are joining forces to warn vessels that risk violating the 2020 sulphur cap. The two organisations will hand cautioning letters to vessels throughout 2019.

News ID: 80318

Date: 22 December 2018 - 08:40

Paris and Tokyo MOUs will identify vessels that appear not to be on track to comply with the 0.5% sulphur cap

TWO leading port state control organisations are to start issuing warnings to vessels that appear unprepared to comply with the 0.5% sulphur cap ahead of 2020.

The Paris and Tokyo Memoranda of Understanding, two distinct organisations that respectively comprise regional maritime authorities from Europe and Asia-Pacific, will throughout 2019 inspect vessels and examine whether they are prepared to meet the new emissions rules coming into effect on January 1, 2020.

Control Officers will check compliance with the regulations through the bunker delivery notes and related ships’ log books and records, as well as by means of sampling from the fuel lines, a sample letter reads.

The scope of the inspections will include probes of the familiarity of the master and ship’s personnel with essential fuel oil management procedures.

In a joint statement, the two organisations said they would start issuing a letter of warning from January 1 next year on the sulphur content of marine fuels during inspections, in order to increase awareness of and to encourage timely compliance with the new requirements.

“The implementation of the global 2020 sulphur cap will have considerable implications on ship operators, the fuel oil supply chain and the industry as a whole,” they said.

“For the purpose of facilitating smooth and consistent implementation of the global 2020 sulphur cap, the Tokyo and the Paris Memoranda will carry out a joint information campaign by issuing a letter of warning to ships during inspections from 1 January to 31 December 2019. The aim is to increase awareness of the ships’ crew and company on the matter and to remind and encourage compliance with Regulations 141,2 and 18 of MARPOL Annex VI” from January 2020.

Port state control inspections are seen by many in the industry as the strongest line of defence in enforcing the new rules.

Paris MoU secretary general Luc Smulders said that was not an entirely fair depiction, because in reality port state control is the secondary line of defence behind flag states who are responsible for the compliance of their fleet.

There are nonetheless widespread concerns that not all port state control authorities will be equally vigilant in their implementation of the regulations.

But Mr Smulders does not expect there to be difference among the Paris MOU’s 27 maritime authorities and that they try to harmonise inspection methods with those of the Tokyo MOU.

“There will always be differences between inspectors, but you try to conduct the work as harmonised as possible,” he told Lloyd’s List.