IMO Convention Updates
A number of IMO conventions are due to be updated or amended in the early part of 2018. Details on some of the more noteworthy changes are included below.
SOLAS
Following the 94th meeting of the IMO Maritime Safety Committee it was agreed that a new Chapter XIV would be added to the SOLAS convention relating to the Polar Code. The new chapter outlines the design and arrangement requirements of the Polar Code. Vessels constructed before 1 January 2017 operating in Polar waters are required to meet the requirements of the Code by their first intermediate or renewal survey after 1 January 2018.
FAL Convention
A new standard has been adopted by the IMO as a part of revisions to the Convention on the Facilitation of International Maritime Traffic (FAL). The new standard, which is expected to enter into force on 1 January 2018, requires systems to be established for the electronic exchange of vessel information required for arrival, stay and departure from a port. This includes information such as general declarations, cargo declarations, ship’s stores declarations, crew effects declarations, crew lists and passenger lists.
The relevant authorities are required to establish the exchange systems within three years of the entry into force date of the new standard. There will be a transitional period of 12 months where both paper and electronic documents will be permitted.
The revisions to the convention are intended to prevent delays to vessels, persons and cargo and prevent duplication of documentation.
Other standards within the Convention have also been updated including those relating to shore leave and access to shore-side facilities and stowaways. A new standard requires Governments to incorporate into their national legislation legal grounds to allow stowaways, attempted stowaways and those aiding stowaways to be prosecuted.
MARPOL
During the 70th meeting of the IMO Marine Environmental Protection Committee a number of amendments to the MARPOL Convention were adopted which include:
Annex I
Amendments to Form B of the supplement to the International Oil Pollution Prevention Certificate, in relation to segregated ballast tanks. These amendments are expected to enter into force on 1 March 2018.
Annex V
Amendments related to products which are Hazardous to the Marine Environment (HME) and Form of Garbage Record Book. These provide criteria for classifying solid bulk cargoes as HME and are aimed at ensuring that such substances are declared by the shipper if they are classed as harmful and are not discharged. These amendments are expected to enter into force on 1 March 2018.
Annex VI
Amendments to the requirements for vessels of 5,000 GT and above requiring them to record and report their fuel oil consumption. Vessels will be required to collect consumption data for each type of fuel oil used in addition to other specified data using the new mandatory fuel oil data collection system. The data collected from this system will ensure future IMO decisions aimed at reducing greenhouse gas emissions are informed and effective.
The amendments also include an appendix which details the information to be submitted to the IMO Ship Fuel Oil Consumption Database and the form of the Statement of Compliance, which would be issued to the ship once the relevant data has been reported. These amendments are expected to enter into force on 1 March 2018.