ICS: Port States Need to Prepare for New Sulfur, BWM Rules

Morooka said there is a risk that the BWM Convention will not be "fit for purpose"

Concerns about port states' implementation of new regulations on sulfur emissions and ballast water management (BWM) dominated discussions at the International Chamber of Shipping (ICS) Annual General Meeting in Cyprus last week, ICS said.

Representatives of national shipowners' associations discussed the apparent unreadiness of many national governments to implement new emissions rules for Emission Control Areas (ECAs) in a uniform way and agreed that port states must resolve questions about the use of alternative compliance mechanisms.

"The shipping industry is investing billions of dollars in order to ensure compliance," said ICS Chairman Masamichi Morooka.

"The huge costs involved could have a profound impact on the future structure of the entire shipping industry and the movement of international trade."

Noting that only six months remain until the start of the new rules, Morooka said governments must clarify all details about their implementation.

On the subject of the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) BWM Convention, the ICS says the new rule's goals are good, and its eventual entry into force is inevitable.

"However, unless these problems are resolved immediately at IMO there is a considerable risk that the regime will not be fit for purpose," Morooka said.

ICS members expressed concerns about the lack of robustness in the current type-approval process for treatment systems and the need for states to clarify that equipment being installed by shipowners will be certified compliant.

"ICS is particularly concerned that port state sanctions could impact unfairly on shipowners who, in good faith, have fitted type-approved equipment, only to be told subsequently that it falls short of the required standard," the group said, adding that the government must adjust plans for implementation of the convention at the IMO Marine Environment Protection Committee meeting in October.

A group of shipping companies, the Trident Alliance, is also pushing states to enforce ECA rules uniformly, with sufficient penalties to discourage corner-cutting.