Author name: Editor

The European Commission has proposed a package of legislative changes aimed at modernizing EU rules on maritime safety and preventing water pollution from ships.
The proposals focus on modernizing and improving maritime safety rules, with an emphasis on port State control and maritime accident investigations.
Flag State inspections will be based on international rules, and specific training programs will be provided by the European Maritime Safety Agency (EMSA) to enhance national administrations’ control over their fleets.
Port State control will be extended to cover additional international rules, including ballast water and sediments, and the inspection targeting process will be updated to reflect new requirements.
Fishing vessels over 24 meters calling at EU ports will be subject to port State control, and serious accidents involving smaller fishing vessels under 15 meters will be reported and screened for lessons learned.
Digitalization of flag State and port State control operations and the encouragement of electronic certificates will be promoted with EMSA’s support.
Tackling Ship-Source Pollution:
The proposals aim to prevent illegal discharges into European seas by aligning EU rules with international regulations and extending the scope to cover a wider range of polluting substances.
The rules will cover illegal discharges of oil, noxious liquid substances, harmful substances carried in packaged form, sewage, garbage, and discharges from Exhaust Gas Cleaning Systems (scrubbers).
CleanSeaNet, EMSA’s surveillance and information sharing database, will be optimized to facilitate information sharing and follow-up obligations by national authorities responsible for detecting and verifying potential pollution.
A strengthened legal framework for penalties and their application will be established to enable national authorities to take action and impose fines in case of illegal discharges.
Revamped Mandate for EMSA:
EMSA’s mandate will be updated to reflect its growing role in various maritime transport areas, including safety, pollution prevention, environmental protection, climate action, security, surveillance, crisis management, and digitalization.
EMSA will provide support for implementing regulations such as the FuelEU Maritime Regulation and extending the EU Emissions Trading System to maritime transport.
The agency will continue assisting with maritime surveillance, cybersecurity resilience, crisis preparedness, and simplifying reporting between Member States through the use of IT tools.

For more details visit “New proposals to support clean and modern shipping”

The Portuguese government has ratified the Hong Kong International Convention on Ship Recycling and incorporated it into national law, becoming the 20th country to do so.

The Hong Kong Convention, introduced in 2019, aims to regulate the design, construction, operation, and preparation of ships and ship recycling facilities in a safe and environmentally sound manner. It was developed with input from the International Maritime Organization (IMO) Member States, non-governmental organizations, the International Labour Organization, and the Parties to the Basel Convention.

Ratification and Entry into Force: The Convention will enter into force 24 months after it has been ratified by 15 IMO States, representing 40 percent of the world’s merchant shipping by gross tonnage.

Safety and Environmental Standards: The Hong Kong Convention sets standards for ship recycling to ensure that these activities are carried out safely and in an environmentally responsible manner. It covers various aspects of ship recycling, including design, construction, operation, and facility preparation:
– the Convention suggests an initial survey to be carried out to verify the Inventory of Hazardous Materials, additional surveys during the life of the ship and a final survey prior to recycling.
– ship recycling yards will need a Ship Recycling Plan for each specific ship explaining the exact manner of the process and assuring the safe handling and disposal of hazardous materials.
– an appendix provides a list of hazardous materials, the installation or use of which is prohibited or restricted in shipyards, ship repair yards and Parties to the Convention.
– the Ship Recycling Plan has to be implemented safely by trained workers taking all safety precautions and having adequate updating on the progress.
– detailed ship recycling completion report is needed since transparency is of outmost importance.
– in the Ship Recycling Yards the parts of the ship are melted and used in steel mills and the engines, generators and panels are resold. Lifeboats and furniture are resold to local fishermen and other coastal communities

Enforcement: The Convention places the responsibility for enforcement on both the vessel’s flag state (the country where the ship is registered) and the recycling state (the country where ship recycling takes place). Ships falling under the Convention’s scope may be subject to inspections by authorized officers in any port or offshore terminal of a Party to determine compliance. If a ship is found to be in violation of the Convention, the inspecting Party can take various actions, including warnings, detentions, dismissals, or exclusion from its ports.

The International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea, 1974 (SOLAS Convention), as amended, deals with various aspects of maritime safety and contains, in chapter VI, the mandatory provisions governing the carriage of solid bulk cargoes. These provisions are extended in the International Maritime Solid Bulk Cargoes Code (IMSBC Code).

The primary aim of the International Maritime Solid Bulk Cargoes Code (IMSBC Code) is to facilitate the safe stowage and shipment of solid bulk cargoes by providing information on the dangers associated with the shipment of certain types of solid bulk cargoes and instructions on the procedures to be adopted when the shipment of solid bulk cargoes is contemplated.
The IMO Maritime Safety Committee adopted Resolution MSC.500(105) containing a new set of amendments to the IMSBC Code. These amendments, known as Amendment 06-21, and will enter into force on December 1, 2023. Although Administrations may apply them on a voluntary basis starting from January 1, 2023.

Here’s an overview of the key changes and updates:
1. Definitions Relating to Dynamic Separation:
New definitions related to the phenomenon of “dynamic separation” have been introduced. These definitions are crucial for understanding and addressing the risks associated with certain types of solid bulk cargoes.
“Dynamic separation” is defined as the phenomenon of forming a liquid slurry (water and fine solids) above the solid material, which can significantly affect the ship’s stability.
“Group A” consists of cargoes that pose a hazard due to moisture, which may result in liquefaction or dynamic separation if shipped at a moisture content exceeding their transportable moisture limit.
2. Changes to IMSBC Appendix 1 – “Individual Schedule of Solid Bulk Cargoes”:
New cargo entries have been added to IMSBC Appendix 1, which is the individual schedule of solid bulk cargoes. Some solid bulk cargoes have been removed from the list.
Examples of newly added solid bulk cargoes include ammonium nitrate-based fertilizer, clam shell, and leach residue containing lead.
On the other hand, ammonium nitrate-based fertilizer (non-hazardous) and triple granular superphosphate have been deleted from the list.
3. Amendments to Various Sections of the IMSBC Code:
The IMSBC Code has undergone changes in several sections to incorporate the new definitions and cargo classifications.
Notable changes include updates to Section 7, which now addresses “Cargoes which may liquefy or undergo dynamic separation.”
Section 8 has been updated to focus on “Test procedures for group A cargoes,” reflecting the classification of cargoes based on moisture content and the risk of liquefaction or dynamic separation.
Other sections, such as those related to hazardous materials and their classification, have also been amended to align with the latest standards and definitions.

For more details on the amendments and a full list of the new cargoes added to the IMSBC Code, please see IMO Resolution MSC.500(105) – Amendments to the IMSBC Code.