The Union of Greek Shipowners on Monday (20 May) said it warmly welcomes the significant progress made at the 74th session of the Marine Environment Protection Committee (MEPC 74) with regard to the outstanding issues related to the challenges stemming from the implementation of the new 0.5% sulphur limit on marine fuels.
MEPC 74 made progress towards a robust data collection system and feedback mechanism on fuel oil quality and availability, adopted the revised template on the Fuel Oil Non-Availability Report (FONAR) in the 2019 Guidelines for consistent implementation of the 0.5% sulphur cap on marine fuels in the light of operational and safety considerations and gave due consideration to a pragmatic approach by Port and Flag States of vessels’ non-compliance due to reasons beyond their control.
It also embraced the proposal for inclusion of a new output in the Committee’s work programme on evaluation and harmonization of rules and guidance on the discharges of Exhaust Gas Cleaning Systems (EGCSs) into waters and potentially the assessment of the overall “equivalency” of these systems.
“We are very pleased to see that the UN IMO is making significant progress in terms of addressing a number of important and unforeseen problems with regard to the global 0.5% sulphur cap regime only months before the commencement of its implementation and enforcement”, the President of the UGS, Mr. Theodore Veniamis commented.
“Although a disproportionate responsibility is still placed upon shipowners / operators, we at least now have some useful tools in hand which will hopefully help towards achieving a smoother implementation process”, he added.
“We are also pleased to note that, regarding the Green House Gas emissions reduction roadmap, it is now recognised that the modus operandi of bulk / tramp shipping requires the adoption of prescriptive short-term measures in order to substantially involve vessels’ charterers.
“The proposal submitted by Greece and fully supported by the UGS is now part of the IMO’s list of short-term measures due for further consideration.”
According to Veniamis, Greek shipowners, were among the first to highlight the challenges of the 2020 global sulphur cap and the essential features of bulk / tramp shipping.
They will continue to contribute with their hands-on experience and know-how to the environmental discussions and to the important work that is still ongoing at the UN IMO and the upcoming critical Maritime Safety Committee meeting.
“The UN IMO should be especially commended for giving precedence to safety and environmental protection over formal compliance and commercial considerations on these crucial issues for shipping, world trade and a sustainable environment, ensuring that any uncertainties and deficiencies of the new regime will not be turned into excuses for distortion of competition” concludes Veniamis.
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A series of earlier MEPC 74 coverage by Manifold Times, focusing on developments, have been organised below:
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Photo credit: International Maritime Organization
Published: 22 May, 2019
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