Ports and Maritime Organization (PMO) lodged a complaint to the International Maritime Organization (IMO) over the seizure of its tanker in Greek waters

Chief Executive of Iranian Ports and Maritime Organization (PMO) announced the strong protest of the country to the International Maritime Organization following the seizure of Iranian oil tanker by the Greek government.

While protesting against the illegal seizure of Iranian oil tanker by Greece which was done with the support of US government, Deputy Minister of Roads and Urban Development Ali Akbar Safaei said that the Greek government’s illegal action against Iranian ship is contrary to the goals and positions of the International Maritime Organization (IMO) as an international maritime authority.

Speaking with the Secretary-General of the IMO Kitack Lim, Safaei emphasized that this is not the first time that Iranian merchant ships and oil tankers have been directly or indirectly seized by the United States.

In recent years, a number of Iranian tankers have been seized by the United States and subsequently, Iranian Ports and Maritime Organization, on behalf of the Islamic Republic of Iran, lodged its complaint to the Legal Division of the International Maritime Organization (IMO), he continued.

Stating that the US actions are against the security in the seas as well as safe passage, the deputy roads minister stipulated, “Our ships and sailors have been under constant threat following harsh US sanctions. Therefore, we hope that IMO will pay special attention to this issue.”

As Iranian ship had requested emergency assistance from the Greek authorities, they, with the support of the United States, have seized the Iranian merchant and cargo ship and unloaded its cargo, he said, adding that such move is considered ‘an act of piracy’.

IMO Secretary-General, for his part, said that members of the International Maritime Organization are aware of Iran’s concern and protest against the recent events and “We are opposed to any discrimination or attack on maritime safety and security.”

Kitack Lim stated that he will bring up the issue in the upcoming meeting of IMO Assembly to find a solution.

IMO will hold an Extraordinary Session of its Council to address the impacts on shipping and seafarers of the situation in the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov.

The Extraordinary Session (C ES 35) will be held on 10 and 11 March in remote session, and it was convened following requests from several Council Members. In light of the Ukraine-Russia tension, the IMO Secretary-General, Kitack Lim, issued a statement supporting the call of UN Secretary-General António Guterres for hostilities to cease immediately.

As IMO Secretary-General Kitack Lim said:

As the humanitarian crisis continues to unfold in Ukraine, I fully support and stand with UN Secretary-General António Guterres’ call for hostilities to cease immediately

The Club would like to draw to Members’ attention that the World Health Organization (WHO) has just released ‘An implementation guide for the management of Covid-19 on board cargo ships and fishing vessels’. The target audience of this guide includes port operators and ship operators.

The guide is recommended for use with WHO’s Handbook for management of public health events on board ships. The purpose of this handbook is to assist competent authorities at the local level to manage potentially internationally significant public health events at ports.

Source: ukpandi

Cruise players fear carbon-cutting measures that come into force next January will create “unintended consequences”, potentially driving up the sector’s absolute emissions.

Shipping as a whole has 12 months to prepare for the International Maritime Organization’s Energy Efficiency Existing Ship Index (EEXI) that it adopted last June, which will require vessels to meet the current Energy Efficiency Design Index standards for newbuildings.

But it is the regulator’s plan for annual monitoring of the carbon intensity of vessels that is uniquely proving a sticking point for passenger ships.

The Carbon Intensity Indicator (CII), also adopted last summer, will rate vessel efficiency between A and E and require those rated D and E to lower their emissions.

Although none of the leading cruise operators would be drawn on the detail of their plans to meet the new ratings, Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA) has graded the current CII proposals an F, and is calling for them to be revised.

“The IMO’s recent adoption of the CII, while well-intentioned, requires further refinement to be truly useful,” the association told TradeWinds. “The focus on carbon intensity, without also considering its relationship to overall carbon output, could generate unintended consequences.

Source: tradewindsnews

The Panama Canal Authority (ACP) is expected to develop Panama Canal Green Vessel Classification system and a Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Emissions Fee to ‘aid in making Canal operations carbon neutral’, and incentivise green shipping through the canal by establishing a price differential for energy-efficient vessels.

Source: intercargo

The IMO’s MARPOL Annex IV Convention, which aims to control sewage pollution from ships, is being revised to ‘confirm the lifetime performance’ of Sewage Treatment Plants (STPs). Although the focus is on the new ships, some Member States and NGOs propose ‘concrete measures’ to improve the existing STPs on existing ships. [1, 2]. So how do existing STPs perform, and what does it take to improve them?

A survey of 127 ships showed a huge gap between rules and realities (table above). Merely three percent of STPs met the IMP’s STP performance standards [3]. If a standard was to be set to accommodate the 95th percentile of the best performing ships, it would be 10 times the concentration of untreated domestic sewage. It is evident that despite the availability of technologies type approved under the IMO’s approval regimes over a last decade or so, the IMO’s STP performance standards remain aspirational and unproven.

STPs are developed to pass type tests only. The performance standard has not been applied to actual discharges from ships. The lack of effective implementation has led to a situation far worse than poor treatment performance. Let’s hope this new initiative, backed by shipping NGOs, will help the maritime industry with a much-needed reality check – i.e., to find out to what degree the existing STPs can be improved, and to what extent the huge gap between rules and realities can be narrowed.

What does it take to improve your STP?

1) To have a good intention. There should be no penalties or brownie points. To crack open sea water valves, or to send to the lab a bottle of tap water in lieu of STP effluent, would invite bad regulation for the industry. To make an STP perform is never ‘care-free’ – commitment is needed.

2) Applications. Small ships face the most challenging conditions in terms of space, resources, and fluctuated sewage loading. Small ships are at the periphery of the approval and inspection regimes, and are most likely to have installed underperforming STPs [10]. Therefore, small ships are critical to establish the true boundary of an evidence-based, practicable and sustainable sewage regulation, and let’s hope they are well represented in this initiative.

3) Know your STP. To improve an existing STP, technical know-how is required. For example, to pursue good effluent qualities without measuring and assessing its effluent flow rate can be worse than meaningless, because it would encourage dilution. Not all STPs can be helped: STPs without a solids-separation step [7] and STPs using chlorination disinfection without de-chlorination [8] are still spreading on new ships.

4) Scope of improvements. A certified STP should not be modified without the involvement of its maker and its approval authority. Hence the scope of improvement needs to focus on STP interface conditions, training, and operation and maintenance (O&M). Features to provide the basic visibility of STP operational conditions can be essential. Keep a record of the observations.

5) Benchmarking. To benchmark an STP, its effluent flow rate and turbidity are essential. Take regular photos of STP effluent for future reference. When an accredited laboratory is involved, please note the effluent sample point needs to be disinfected, residual chlorine (if applicable) and pH need to be tested immediately, sample bottles must be transported in cool boxes, and a signed chain of custody needs to be in place.

6) Interfaces. All waste streams into the STP should be evaluated. Make a note if food waste and its derivatives are connected to the STP [11]. Measure the daily flows and peak flows, and ensure they are within the certified capacity of the STP. Note grey water, when treated, can increase organic and hydraulic loadings to an STP. Keep the vent pipe clear.

7) Operation & Maintenance (O&M). Failing to operate an STP ‘in accordance with the manufacturers O&M manual’ has led to most STP-related detainments. So do get trained and do follow the O&M manual. Keep manufacturer approved spares and consumables. Check chemical shelf-life. Disinfection processes can be checked by the test kits specified in the O&M manual. Maintaining good solids separation by settlement, flotation or filtration is crucial for good effluent quality.

Seeing improvements? Now, observe the STP effluent again, and compare it with the benchmark in terms of flow rates and turbidity or any other parameters of concern. Make your findings known. Burying bad news encourages and sustains bad rules.

Better regulations are needed

Our aqua environment has improved over the past century, thanks to the effective regulations on-land that evolve over a ‘regulatory cycle’ (Figure below). The maritime industry also has a taste of success in Alaska [12,13], demonstrated by the performance of the advanced wastewater treatment systems (AWTS) that is a startling contrast to that of the STPs (Figure) [14]. The IMO’s MARPOL Annex IV is so incompatible with effective regulation that the AWTS’ performance cannot be defined under the IMO rules. In this context, any tangible improvements that can be achieved by this positive initiative should be most welcome by the maritime industry.

Source: maritime-executive

BIMCO is launching a new survey with the aim of gathering information from shipowners about the effectiveness of their anti-fouling systems (AFS). The information gathered will help BIMCO provide factual information to the International Maritime Organization (IMO) about biofouling management in practice.

The topic of biofouling is increasingly on the agenda at the IMO and several national governments. The existing IMO guidelines on biofouling (Resolution MEPC.207(62) – 2011 Guidelines for the control and management of ships’ biofouling to minimise the transfer of invasive species) are currently under review.

BIMCO is actively involved in the revision of the guidelines and is seeking to ensure that the revised guidelines remain practical for shipowners. To build our argumentation on facts, BIMCO has developed a questionnaire to collect shipowners’ views on the practices of biofouling management, especially the use and effectiveness of anti-fouling systems (AFS) and in-water cleaning.

Source: hellenicshippingnews