Almost Half of Tankers Not Ready For New July 2015 SOLAS Regs

by Ship & Bunker News Team
Tuesday June 16, 2015

Almost half of the global tanker fleet that will be subject to next month's regulation on Electronic Chart Display and Information Systems (ECDIS) with Electronic Nautical Charts (ENC) are not yet properly equipped, according to an emailed statement by the United Kingdom Hydrographic Office (UKHO). 

From July 1, 2015 new International Maritime Organization (IMO) SOLAS regulations will require ECDIS with ENC to be installed on all tankers of 3,000 gross tonnes or more. 

However, 46 percent of applicable tankers are not yet using the ENC service, according to UKHO, though the figure is reportedly much improved from figures in September 2014, when 58 percent of applicable tankers were not ECDIS-ready. 

"Even allowing for exemptions and the grace period until their first survey after 1 July 2015, which could be up to 12 months later, this is a considerable undertaking and the ECDIS supply chain can expect to come under considerable pressure in the coming months," said Thomas Mellor, Head of OEM Technical Support and Digital Standards at UKHO.

UKHO also added that liquefied natural gas (LNG) tankers have the highest readiness rate at 83 percent, with crude tankers coming second at 70 percent

Product tankers reportedly trail far behind, with only 36 percent of tankers using ENC. 

"Tanker owners and operators that have not yet planned for the adoption of ECDIS should address this immediately in order to make the transition in a safe, timely manner and avoid the risks of non-compliance," said Mellor.

"From an operational, commercial and reputational perspective, the consequences of failing to comply with the ECDIS regulations – and therefore the SOLAS Convention – can be severe."

It was reported earlier this year that Scorpio Tankers had predicted a rebound in the product tanker market that could last several years.