December 2020 will be a key month for the EU’s Ship Recycling Regulation (SRR). Adopted in 2013 and aimed at reducing negative environmental impacts associated with recycling ships flying the flags of EU member states, the regulation sets out requirements that ships and recycling facilities must fulfil.

A key element of this is the Inventory of Hazardous Materials (IHM), which since 31 December 2018 has been required for newly contracted vessels with a gross tonnage of 500 or more flying the flags of EU member states. From 31 December 2020, this requirement will be expanded to the existing EU fleet. But owners of non-EU flagged vessels also need to have an understanding of the SRR and IHM process as, from 31 December 2020, equivalent non-EU flagged vessels calling at EU ports or anchorages will also be required to carry and maintain an IHM.

The elements of the SRR relating to vessels coming to the end of their working life, applying to ships flying the flag of EU being sent for recycling, have been in force since 31 December 2016. Before delivery to a recycling facility, vessels should have parts 1, 2 and 3 of the IHM completed in order to receive an International Ready for Recycling Certificate from their class society.

The IHM covers fifteen substances and is aimed at controlling and documenting hazardous materials on board ships. It requires expert knowledge to compile and will be produced by a third-party inspection specialist and validated by class.

CTI Marine Services is a Singapore-headquartered organisation that has already been involved in production of thousands of IHM projects. CTI Marine Services is the maritime specialist arm of Centre Testing International (CTI), a China-headquartered international conglomerate that provides a range of testing, environmental safety and material reliability services spanning industrial products, consumer goods and maritime hazardous materials management. We spoke with CTI Marine Services business manager Andreas Lougridis to understand more about what exactly is involved in producing the IHM, and what owners need to know before they go about commissioning a report.

“Many owners don’t know how time-consuming the IHM is, and how much effort has to be put in for a successful completion,” says Mr Lougridis.

As the IHM is a ship-specific project, inspectors will collect drawings and prepare a visual sampling check plan (VSCP) identifying from which locations samples must be taken.. This process is carried out at the inspector’s office and takes one or two work days.

Once the VSCP has been drawn up, the inspector can go on board a vessel to collect samples. Mr Lougridis notes that based on CTI Marine Services’ experience, two days or 20 man hours is sufficient for the sampling process to be completed.

With the samples taken, the next step is for them to be sent to a laboratory for testing. The length of time this takes depends on the inspector and which facilities they are using. For CTI, which has in-house labs, this process takes around 10 days, following which the final report can be compiled.

“From zero to final reporting takes an average of 20-30 days, and once we’re finished, class will take over to review our reports,” Mr Lougridis explains.

This can take as little as 2-3 weeks or up to three months, depending on where the review takes place. And once this review is completed, a class society inspector will go on board the vessel to perform a verification survey, which will take about half a day, following which, assuming all is as it should be, a Statement of Compliance (SoC) validating the IHM can be issued by class on behalf of the vessel’s flag state.

“So from the very start to issuing the SoC, we’re talking a minimum of two months and – from our experience – as much as five months per vessel.”

The IHM is reviewed on each special survey, so about every five years, and if properly maintained the SoC will be re-endorsed in a process that will be repeated throughout the vessel’s working life.

This article is the first in a series of three looking at issues surrounding the IHM process and what shipowners need to be aware of. In the next article in this series, we will look at what shipowners need to be aware of when planning IHMs and how to avoid associated pitfalls.

CTI Marine Services and Riviera Maritime Media are jointly hosting a webinar on the Inventory of Hazardous Materials, detailing what every vessel operator needs to know and do by 2020, on Tuesday, 10 December 2019 at 9:30am GMT. Book here to register for the webinar.
Source: rivieramm

Leading Classification Society ClassNK has released its “Guidelines for the Inventory of Hazardous Materials (Ver.4.00).

The “Hong Kong International Convention for the Safe and Environmentally Sound Recycling of Ships, 2009” (HKC) was adopted in 2009. After the entry into force of the HKC, the development and maintenance of an Inventory of Hazardous Materials (IHM), which identifies the location and approximate quantities of hazardous materials onboard a ship, will be required for all ships over 500GT.

Hopes are high for entry into force, as currently, 13 countries making up 30% of the merchant fleet have acceded to the HKC(*1). Ahead of the HKC’s entry into force, EU ship recycling regulations will require all existing ships sailing under the flag of EU Member States as well as ships flying the flag of a third country and calling at an EU port or anchorage to have an IHM from 31 December 2020.

In light of the situation, ClassNK has revised its guidelines to include comprehensive content on the development and maintenance of IHM in line with not only the HKC, but also EU regulations, including the validity of an existing statement of compliance. The Guidelines for the Inventory of Hazardous Materials (Ver.4.00) are available to download free of charge via ClassNK’s website www.classnk.com for those who have registered for the ClassNK “My Page” service. To register for the “My Page” service free of charge, go to the ClassNK website www.classnk.com and click on the “My Page Login” button.

(*1): The HKC will enter into force 24 months after the date on which 15 States, representing 40 percent of world merchant shipping by gross tonnage, have either signed it without reservation as to ratification, acceptance or approval or have deposited instruments of ratification, acceptance, approval or accession with the Secretary-General. Furthermore, the combined maximum annual ship recycling volume of those States must, during the preceding 10 years, constitute not less than 3 per cent of their combined merchant shipping tonnage.
Source: ClassNK

Within the field of hazardous materials and substances Kiwa Oesterbaai offers worldwide services. We conduct asbestos & HazMat surveys, inventories, training programs and consultancy for all types of vessels, offshore platforms and structures and in specific cases also for real-estate. 

IHM Register

The IHM Register is a unique software product developed by Kiwa Oesterbaai. It is a web based database used for vessel and real-estate specific Hazardous Material (HM) management. The IHM Register is meant to create accurate insight and overview, based on quality data. This data can be added real-time and on sight by our specialists in the field with an application and tablet. Furthermore the IHM Register also is a tool for refits / recycling and to show Class / Authorities as proof of proper HM Management.

Go directly to the IHM Register here: http://ihmregister.com/login.php

If you don’t have a login and password, please contact your account manager / contactperson.  

IHM One Stop Solution

IMO & EU Ship Recycling Regulation
The International Maritime Organization (IMO) and separately the EU have issued guidelines for the process of recycling ships and their waste materials.

These guidelines will be imposed for all EU flagged ships as from December 2018 (new builds) and 2020 (existing vessels)!

Kiwa Oesterbaai’s HazMat experts are fully certified to conduct their surveys and will assist you with the IHM in accordance with these standards.

Maritime Inventory of Hazardous Materials (IHM)
The presence of HazMats and substances in industrial objects, ships or offshore platforms can pose a threat to human health and the environment. Kiwa Oesterbaai takes care of your needs and guarantees to deliver on the most complex of projects ensuring that vessels are completed on time and to client satisfaction. The Hong Kong Convention & EU Ship Recycling Regulation state that in the very near future the potential hazardous materials should be inventoried and catalogued throughout the entire lifecycle.

We work together with our clients to minimize downtime, either during port calls or when in dry-dock for repairs or maintenance. Our survey reports can be of added value during the entire life cycle of your assets:

• New builds
• In service
• During repair or refit works
• Recycling & decommissioning

We provide full survey reports within the field of dangerous materials and substances, minimizing the duration of out-of-service time.

Our Maritime division strives to prevent exposure to hazardous materials by offering the following services:

• Asbestos / HazMat survey and consultancy
• Monitoring programmes
• Risk assessments and advice
• Management plans and policies
• Plans of action for removal or demolition
• Tender scopes
• Supervision or project management during removal & remedial works

Please feel free to contact us if you would like to have any additional information.

Source: kiwaoesterbaai

Dear IMCA Member

The European Union’s Ship Recycling Regulations (EUSRR) entered into force on December 2018 for EU-flagged new builds. For existing EU-flagged vessels and non-EU-flagged vessels, the effective date is 31 December 2020. There is a requirement in EUSRR applying not only to vessels flying the flag of countries in the European Union (EU) or European Economic Area (EEA) but also to all vessels of 500 GT and above, regardless of the which flag they are flying, when calling a port or anchorage of a country that is a member of the EU or EEA.

This requirement means that from 31 December 2020, all such vessels should carry an inventory of hazardous materials (IHM) they have onboard. The IHM should be compliant with EUSRR and for vessels flying a flag of country outside the EU/EEA region, should also be accompanied by a Statement of Compliance from the flag state.

While we expect that this will affect quite a number of Members’ vessels, we foresee certain obstacles for vessel owners or operators in finalising their inventory by the deadline of 31 December 2020, especially in the current situation where inspectors and Recognised Organisations are unable to board vessels, due to COVID-19 restrictions.

IMCA is working with other organisations, including BIMCO, ICS and ECSA to lobby for an extension to the entry into force date. For IMCA, to get a better understanding of the extent of this issue and to approach the right authorities for a dialogue, we request you to share information about your fleet.

The purpose of this questionnaire is to collect and collate information on your company’s experiences with European Union’s Ship Recycling Regulations (EUSRR), in particular, the requirement to carry out an Inventory of Hazardous Materials (IHM).

All information provided will be collated by IMCA to ensure complete anonymity.

About the Questionnaire: The questionnaire contains 7 questions and should take about 5-10 minutes to complete, providing you have the required information readily accessible.

Take the survey here

By completing and submitting this questionnaire, you have given IMCA your consent to keep and use your personal information in accordance with this notice and IMCA’s Privacy Policy.

IMCA’s Privacy Policy: https://www.imca-int.com/privacy-policy/

Confidentiality and data protection management of information

• We will use the information you provide for the purposes mentioned above.
• We will not pass on any personal information to third parties.
• As soon as a statistical analysis of the survey result is finalised, we will delete all personal information collected.

Thank you for participating.
Source: imca-int