The Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) on Friday (24 May) issued Port Marine Circular No. 4 of 2024 informing the shipping community of resolutions, including those related to bunker fuel, adopted by MPEC 81:

RESOLUTIONS ADOPTED BY THE 81st SESSION OF THE MARINE ENVIRONMENT PROTECTION COMMITTEE (MEPC 81) OF THE INTERNATIONAL MARITIME ORGANISATION (IMO)

This circular informs the shipping community of the resolutions adopted by MEPC 811 and urges the shipping community to prepare for the implementation of these resolutions.

The mandatory resolutions adopted by MEPC 81 include the following:

Resolution MEPC.383(81) – Amendments to Regulations A-1 and B-2 of the International Convention for the Control and Management of Ship’s Ballast Water and Sediments (IBWMC), 2004

This resolution adopts amendments to Regulations A-1 and B-2 of the IBWMC concerning the use of electronic record books. The amendments will enter into force on 01 October 2025 and will be given effect through amendments to the Prevention of Pollution of the Sea (Ballast Water Management) Regulations.

Resolution MEPC.384(81) – Amendments to Protocol I of MARPOL (Reporting Procedures for the Loss of Containers)

This resolution adopts amendments to Protocol I of MARPOL concerning the reporting procedures for the loss of freight containers that includes cross referencing SOLAS V/31 and V/32 requirements on danger messages. The amendments will enter into force on 01 January 2026 and will be given effect through amendments to the Prevention of Pollution of the Sea (Reporting of Pollution Incidents) Regulations.

Resolution MEPC.385(81) – Amendments to MARPOL Annex VI (LowFlashpoint Fuels and Other Fuel Oil Related Issues, Marine Diesel Engine Replacing Steam System, Accessibility of Data and Inclusion of Data on Transport Work and Enhanced Granularity in the IMO Ship Fuel Consumption Database (IMO DCS))

This resolution adopts amendments to MARPOL Annex VI concerning the definition of fuel oil and gas fuel, NOx requirements related to replacing a steam system with a marine diesel engine, clarification on sampling point(s) and bunker delivery notes for low-flashpoint fuels and gas fuels, and expansion of data required relevant to the IMO DCS. The amendments will enter into force on 01 August 2025 and will be given effect through amendments to the Prevention of Pollution of the Sea (Air) Regulations. 

MEPC 81 also adopted the following resolutions: 

Resolution MEPC.386(81) – 2024 Guidelines as required by Regulation 13.2.2 of MARPOL Annex VI in respect of Non-Identical Replacement Engines not required to meet the Tier III limit 

This resolution contains guidance on the criteria of when it is not possible for a replacement engine to meet the standards in regulation 13.5.1.1 (Tier III), with additional points for consideration in determining the Tier of engine required when replacing a steam system. This Guidelines supersede the 2013 Guidelines adopted by resolution MEPC.230(65). 

Resolution MEPC.387(81) – Interim Guidance on the Application of the BWM Convention to Ships Operating in Challenging Water Quality (CWQ) Conditions

This resolution contains guidance to assist ships in planning for compliance with the BWM Convention and the D-2 discharge standard when a type-approved ballast water management system (BWMS) that has been properly installed, operated and maintained encounters operational limitations or has difficulty meeting the operational demand in CWQ conditions. 

Resolution MEPC.388(81) – Amendments to the 2022 Guidelines for the Development of a Ship Energy Efficiency Management Plan (SEEMP) (Resolution MEPC.346(78)) 

This resolution adopts amendments to the 2022 Guidelines for the development of a Ship Energy Efficiency Management Plan (SEEMP) (resolution MEPC.346(78)) to support the required information to be reported to the IMO DCS after amendments to Appendix IX of MARPOL Annex VI have entered into force. 

Resolution MEPC.389(81) – Amendments to the 2022 Guidelines for Administration Verification of Ship Fuel Oil Consumption Data and Operational Carbon Intensity (Resolution MEPC.348(78))

This resolution adopts amendments to the 2022 Guidelines for Administration Verification of Ship Fuel Oil Consumption Data and Operational Carbon Intensity to support the required information to be reported to the IMO DCS after amendments to Appendix IX of MARPOL Annex VI have entered into force.

Resolution MEPC.390(81) – Amendments to the 2021 Guidelines on the Shaft/Engine Power Limitation System to comply with the EEXI Requirements and Use of a Power Reserve (Resolution MEPC.335(76), as amended by Resolution MEPC.375(80)) 

This resolution adopts amendments to the 2021 Guidelines on the Shaft/Engine Power Limitation System to comply with the EEXI Requirements and Use of a Power Reserve (resolution MEPC.335(76), as amended by resolution MEPC.375(80)), to support a uniform and consistent application, including the use of power reserve of the Shaft/Engine Power Limitation System. 

Resolution MEPC.391(81) – 2024 Guidelines on Life Cycle GHG Intensity of Marine Fuels (2024 LCA Guidelines)

This resolution contains guidance on the life cycle GHG intensity assessment for all fuels and other energy carriers (e.g. electricity) used on board a ship and aim at covering the whole fuel life cycle (with specific boundaries), from feedstock extraction/cultivation/ recovery, feedstock conversion to a fuel product, transportation as well as distribution/bunkering, and fuel utilization on board a ship, amongst other things. This resolution revokes the LCA Guidelines adopted by resolution MEPC.376(80).

In addition to the adoption of resolutions, the following Unified Interpretation (UI) was also approved by MEPC 81: 

1. MEPC.1/Circ.795/Rev.9 – Unified interpretations to MARPOL Annex VI (Regulations 2.2.15 and 2.2.18). 

Any queries relating to this circular should be directed to MPA Shipping Division via email at [email protected].

Photo credit: Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore
Published: 27 May 2024