Asia/Pacific News
Buy Your Chinese ECA Bunkers in China: INTERTANKO
All ships intending to call at Chinese ports covered by new emission control area (ECA) regulations should buy their 0.50 percent compliant bunkers in China, INTERTANKO has advised.
The independent tanker owners and operators group made the recommendation after receiving clarification from the China Maritime Safety Administration (MSA) on several points pertaining to the implementation and enforcement of the new rules.
MSA confirmed that China's ECA regulations require bunker suppliers to test every batch of fuel and retain the records, as well as provide vessels with bunker delivery notes (BDNs) and samples of the fuel supplied - even when the supplier is foreign.
"Fuel suppliers operating in China are mandated to sample and test fuels delivered to ships. This provision cannot be applied to fuel suppliers operating outside China," said INTERTANKO.
"To be on the safe side, and to the extent it is possible and practicable, we would suggest that ships calling the Chinese ECA attempt to bunker 0.50 percent fuel in China. It provides better protection as the ships would have documentation to demonstrate the fuel purchased is compliant."
When asked how random checks will be conducted - if samples would be taken onboard by Chinese officials or through a request for the sample available onboard - MSA confirmed that checks "must be" conducted by sending officials onboard to draw samples for testing.
INTERTANKO then asked if ships would be detained while awaiting test results from an MSA-drawn sample.
The MSA confirmed that the vessel will not be detained while awaiting test results from such samples.
"Apparently, the Chinese authorities would expand fuel sampling onboard arriving ships. This is not a practice under MARPOL Annex VI regulations but a practice under the EU Sulphur Directive," noted INTERTANKO.
"We would suggest ships establish safe sampling points in the engine room and are provided with guidelines for proper sampling. Ships should also keep part of the fuel sampled by the authorities."
In April, Ship & Bunker reported that penalty notices for violations had already been issued in Shanghai after the region's new ECA rules had only been in effect for two weeks.
