IMO’s Marine Environment Protection Committee (MEPC) has defused divisive discussions around a controversial proposal to add a data gathering phase into the implementation framework for its forthcoming sulphur cap regulations.
On Wednesday (24 October), at the close of MEPC 73’s plenary meeting in London, MEPC committee chair Hideaki Saito called an end to discussions around a proposal submitted by several prominent flag states and shipping industry groups to establish an experience-building phase (EBP) to examine global compliance measures and availability of compliant fuel following the implementation of the 0.5% limit on sulphur in commercial shipping on 1 January 2020.
The EBP proposal’s sponsors and other delegations reportedly made explicit their view that the proposed measures were not intended to delay implementation of the 0.5% sulphur limit.
Last week, officials from US president Donald Trump’s White House brought attention to the EBP proposal by announcing US support.
MEPC invited submissions of further ‘concrete’ proposals ahead of the committee’s next meeting in May 2019 regarding how to ‘enhance’ the provisions of regulation 18 of MARPOL Annex VI, in particular on fuel oil quality and reporting of non-availability of compliant fuel oils. Mr Saito also cited the potential for enhancement of IMO’s Global Integrated Shipping Information System (GISIS) module for data collection and analysis.
BIMCO, one of the EBP proposal’s sponsors, said in a prepared statement the group found the outcome of IMO discussions at this week’s MEPC 73 to be ‘satisfactory’ and noted its support for the expected adoption of the approved MARPOL amendment prohibiting vessels from carrying non-compliant fuel after 1 March 2020.
“The consensus agreement reached at IMO on Wednesday to ask for a concrete proposal to strengthen the implementation of MARPOL Annex VI, regulation 18, is very satisfactory to BIMCO. The proposal will seek to establish the necessary additions to the IMO GISIS modules for holding data from the experience ships gain with regard to fuel oil availability and fuel quality. And, importantly, the conclusion worked for all IMO member states,” the BIMCO statement read.
“The MEPC has furthermore rejected attempts to defer adoption of the ban on carriage of non-compliant fuel, and adoption of this new regulation is expected to take place later this week. BIMCO has worked for a carriage ban, and is pleased that it is going to be adopted.”
In August, the Bahamas, Liberia, Marshall Islands, Panama, BIMCO, Intercargo and Intertanko cosponsored and submitted a paper entitled MEPC 73/5/14 to MEPC.
Responding to what it called ‘misconceptions’ regarding the document, the coalition published a clarification in early October saying “The paper seeks to facilitate a pragmatic approach… specifically in those instances where a ship is not able to achieve compliance due to fuel non-availability and fuel quality problems. This is relevant regardless of the means by which a shipowner chooses to comply with the standard and does not suggest a wholesale relaxation of enforcement regimes in all scenarios.”
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