INTERNATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF DRILLING CONTRACTORS MEMORANDUM TO: FROM: SUBJECT: Distribution Alan Spackman, Vice President, Offshore Technical and Regulatory Affairs Report on the 65 th session of the IMO s Marine Environment Protection Committee DATE: 23 July 2013 The 65 th session of the International Maritime Organization s Marine Environment Protection Committee ( 65) was held from 13 to 17 May 2013, under the Chairmanship of Mr. A. Chrysostomou (Cyprus). The session was attended by delegations from 103 Member nations, one Associate Member, three United Nations and Specialized Agencies, six intergovernmental organizations and 45 non-governmental organizations. The International Association of Drilling Contractors was not represented at this meeting. Warren Weaver (Transocean) served as an advisor to Vanuatu s delegation. Issues addressed during the session that may be of interest to the offshore industries included: Circulars The Committee adopted the Circulars listed below. Circulars are made available on the IMO website (www.imo.org) by following the link to Circulars at the bottom of the page: Circular number BWM.2/Circ.42 BWM.2/Circ.43 BWM.2/Circ.44.1/Circ.469/Rev.2 /Circ.470/Rev.1.1/Circ.644/Rev.1 Title Guidance on ballast water sampling and analysis for trial use in accordance with the BWM Convention and Guidelines (G2) Guidance for Administrations on the type approval process for ballast water management systems in accordance with Guidelines (G8) (BWM.2/Circ.28) Options for ballast water management for Offshore Support Vessels in accordance with the BWM Convention Revised consolidated format for reporting alleged inadequacies of port reception facilities Waste reception facility reporting requirements (to be issued after the entry into force of the amendments on regional agreements under MARPOL on 1 August 2013) Standard format for the advance notification form for waste delivery to port reception facilities.1/circ.645/rev.1 Standard format for the waste delivery receipt.1/circ.671/rev.1 Guide to good practice for port reception facility providers and users.1/circ.753/rev.1 Revised Unified Interpretation to regulation 12.2 of MARPOL Annex I,.1/Circ.810 Adequate port reception facilities for cargoes declared as harmful to the marine environment under MARPOL Annex V (time limit for this circular set to 31 December 2015)
Page 2 Circular number.1/circ.811.1/circ.812.1/circ.813.1/circ.814.1/circ.815.1/circ.816 TBD (- Circ.) TBD (- Circ.) Title Guidance for evaluating the 2011 Guidelines for the control and management of ships' biofouling to minimize the transfer of invasive aquatic species Unified interpretation to regulation 13.2.2 of MARPOL Annex VI concerning "time of the replacement or addition" of an engine for the applicable NO tier standard for the supplement to the IAPP certificate Unified interpretation on "identical" replacement engines under regulation 13 of MARPOL Annex VI Amendments to unified interpretation to MARPOL Annex VI (.1/Circ.795) 2013 Guidance on treatment of innovative energy efficiency technologies for calculation and verification of the attained EEDI 2012 Guidelines on survey and certification of the energy efficiency design index (EEDI), as amended Revised Guidelines for Formal Safety Assessment (FSA) for use in the IMO rule-making process Guidelines for the application of Human Element Analysing Process (HEAP) to the IMO rule-making process Resolutions The Committee adopted the Resolutions listed below. These are annexed to the IMO report. Resolution number.228(65).229(65).230(65).231(65).232(65).233(65).234(65).235(65).236(65) Title Information reporting on type approved ballast water management systems, Promotion of technical co-operation and transfer of technology relating to the improvement of energy efficiency of ships 2013 Guidelines as required by regulation 13.2.2 of MARPOL Annex VI in respect of non-identical replacement engines not required to meet the Tier III Limit 2013 guidelines for calculation of reference lines for use with the Energy Efficiency Design Index (EEDI) 2013 Interim guidelines for determining minimum propulsion power to maintain the manoeuvrability of ships in adverse conditions 2013 Guidelines for calculation of reference lines for use with the Energy Efficiency Design Index (EEDI) for cruise passenger ships having non-conventional propulsion Amendments to the 2012 Guidelines on survey and certification of the energy efficiency design index (EEDI) Amendments to MARPOL Annex I relating to Form A and Form B of Supplements to the IOPP Certificate Amendments to the Condition Assessment Scheme under MARPOL Annex I, as a consequence of the adoption of the International Code on the Enhanced Programme of Inspections during Surveys of Bulk Carriers and Oil Tankers, 2011
Page 3 Resolution number Title.237(65) Code for Recognized Organizations (RO Code).238(65) Amendments to MARPOL Annexes I and II to make the RO Code mandatory.239(65).240(65) Amendments to the 2012 Guidelines for the implementation of MARPOL Annex V 2013 Amendments to the Revised Guidelines and Specifications for Oil Discharge Monitoring and Control Systems for Oil Tankers (resolution.108(49)) Approval of draft Assembly resolutions Subject to concurrent decision of the Maritime Safety Committee (), the Committee approved for consideration and adoption at the 28 th session of the Assembly (A 28): Guidelines to assist investigators in the implementation of the Casualty Investigation Code (resolution.255(84)). Amendments to the Survey Guidelines under the Harmonized System of Survey and Certification (HSSC), 2011 (resolution A.1053(27)) 2013 non-exhaustive list of obligations under instruments relevant to the IMO Instruments Implementation Code (III Code) Application of the International Convention for the Control and Management of Ships' Ballast Water and Sediments, 2004 BWM Convention status It was reported that the number of Contracting Governments to the "International Convention for the Control and Management of Ships' Ballast Water and Sediments, 2004" (BWM Convention) is currently 36, representing 29.07 per cent of the world's merchant fleet tonnage. The delegation of Germany informed the Committee of its intention to deposit its instrument of accession to the BWM Convention in June 2013 Approval of ballast water treatment systems Final Approval was granted to: AQUARIUS EC Ballast Water Management System (Netherlands), OceanDoctor Ballast Water Management System (China), and EcoGuardian TM Ballast Water Management System (Korea). The total number of type-approved ballast water management systems now stands at 33. Basic Approval was granted to: Van Oord Ballast Water Management System (Netherlands), REDO AS Ballast Water Management System (Norway), and Blue Zone TM Ballast Water Management System (Korea). The Committee decided to not to grant Basic Approval to: Ballast Water Management System with PERACLEAN Ocean (SKY SYSTEM ) (Japan) and HyCator : BWT Reactor System (India). Development of Guidelines for port State control under the BWM Convention The Committee approved amended Terms of Reference for the correspondence group established at FSI 21 to develop the Guidelines for port State control under the BWM Convention, which instruct the group to: Continue the development of draft IMO Guidelines for port State control inspection for compliance with the International Convention for Control and Management of Ships' Ballast Water and Sediments, 2004, giving due consideration to preventing undue delay and detentions and considering the efficient operation of ships; Refrain from discussing any ballast water sampling or analysis methodology until the appropriate methodology or protocols have been agreed by IMO; and Reflect the trial period of the BWM Circular on Guidance on ballast water sampling and analysis for trial use in accordance with the BWM Convention and Guidelines (G2) and the draft Assembly
Page 4 resolution regarding the application of the International Convention for the Control and Management of Ships' Ballast Water and Sediments, 2004, in the draft Guidelines. Development of threshold values and exemptions under the Hong Kong Convention on Recycling of Ships The Committee s correspondence group had made good progress, but various threshold values and the issue of exemptions as well as certain underlying concepts still had to be discussed. The Committee established a working group which held extensive discussions regarding threshold values and exemptions leading to some preliminary recommendations and the conclusion that the 2011 Guidelines for the Development of the Inventory of Hazardous Materials should be amended, but it did not reach a final conclusion. Accordingly, the Committee agreed to establish of a Correspondence Group, coordinated by the United States 1, to finalize the development of threshold values and exemptions applicable to the materials to be listed in Inventories of Hazardous Materials and prepare draft amendments to the 2011 Guidelines for the Development of the Inventory of Hazardous Materials to be considered at 66. The Committee invited the Maritime Safety Committee at its 92 nd session to give consideration to a threshold value for asbestos. Equivalents set forth in regulation 4 of MARPOL Annex VI The Committee agreed that sulphur emission-averaging schemes should not be accepted under regulation 4 of MARPOL Annex VI. The delegations of the Bahamas, Liberia, Malta and the United States reserved their position. Amendments to NO Technical Code 2008 to certify dual-fuel engines At its 17 th session, the Sub-Committee on Bulk Liquids and Gasses (BLG) agreed that amendments to the NO Technical Code 2008 are necessary in order to certify dual-fuel engines appropriately. BLG developed draft amendments for this purpose. The Committee approved the draft amendments to NO Technical Code 2008, for circulation with a view to adoption at 66. Guidelines as required by regulation 13.2.2 of MARPOL Annex VI in respect of non-identical replacement engines not required to meet the Tier III limit Regulation 13.2.2 of MARPOL Annex VI specifies that, for the replacement of a marine diesel engine with a non-identical marine diesel engine on or after 1 January 2016, if it is not possible for such a replacement engine to meet the Tier III standard set forth in paragraph 5.1.1, then that replacement engine shall meet the Tier II standard set forth in paragraph 4, with guidelines to be developed to set forth the criteria of when it is not possible for a replacement engine to meet the Tier III standard. The Committee adopted, by resolution.230 (65), 2013 Guidelines as required by regulation 13.2.2 of MARPOL Annex VI in respect of non-identical replacement engines not required to meet the Tier III limit. Unified interpretation on identical replacement engines Regulation 13.1.1.2 of Annex VI specifies that an engine that undergoes a major conversion on or after 1 January 2000 must meet the emission standards in place at the time of the major conversion, except if the engine is replaced by an identical engine. BLG 16 invited IACS to develop a unified interpretation for the definition of "identical" marine diesel engine as referred to in regulation 13.1.1.2 of MARPOL Annex VI. Having considered IACS UI MPC 103 on "identical" replacement engines under regulation 13 of MARPOL Annex VI, the Committee approved the unified interpretation for dissemination as.1/circ.813. 1 Ms. Kris Gilson (kristine.gilson@dot.gov)
Page 5 Review of the status of the technological developments to implement Tier III NOx standards Regulation 13.10 of Annex VI calls for a review of the status of technological developments to implement the Tier III NOx emissions standards to be completed no later than 2013. 62 established a Correspondence Group on assessment of technological developments to implement the Tier III NOx emission standards under MARPOL Annex VI to carry out this review. The Committee considered the report of this group. The group identified that selective catalytic reduction (SCR), exhaust gas recirculation (EGR) and dual-fuel LNG have the potential to achieve Tier III NOx limits, either alone or in some combination with each other. The group recommended that the effective date of the Tier III NOx standards in regulation 13.5.1.1 should be retained. The Committee considered a submission by the Russian Federation emphasizing that it is necessary to move the effective date in regulation 13.5.1.1, at least five years back (1 January 2021), to carry out another review of the technologies before the effective date of the Tier III standards. Several delegations supported the proposal by the Russian Federation. The following concerns were identified: Use of SCR in combination with Exhaust Gas Cleaning Systems installed to enable equivalent compliance with the requirements under regulation 14 of MARPOL Annex VI in an Emission Control Area; Maintenance of the necessary temperature in the SCR reactor under variable loads experienced by ships especially when in port; Ammonia of slip and generation of CO 2 emissions as part of the SCR chemical reaction and methane slip in gas engines may lead to an environmental impact that negates the benefit of reducing NO emissions; Supply of reductants (urea) and catalysts for SCR, and subsequent disposal of used catalysts; Cost of installation and operation of SCR; Safety implications for both SCR and use of gas as a fuel by ships other than gas carriers had not been properly considered; Only one manufacturer had an engine using Exhaust Gas Recirculation (EGR); Lack of infrastructure to supply gas as a fuel for ships; and Additional studies were required. Several delegations supported the recommendation of the group, that the effective date of implementation should be retained as 1 January. Other delegations expressed the view that: Dual-fuel engines were being increasingly fitted to new ships to enable compliance with the requirements under regulation 14 of MARPOL Annex VI; Several hundred ships already had SCR fitted with considerable operational experience gained; Many of the points of concern raised for SCR had already been addressed by SCR equipment manufacturers; Use of gas as a fuel reduced CO 2 emissions by up to 20 per cent when compared to other fuels; The matter of competitiveness of ports was for individual coastal States to consider; and With over 2½ years until the effective date, more work and development will be undertaken to address the other concerns expressed. The Committee agreed to the proposal for the effective date to be amended to 1 January 2021. The following States reserved their position on the proposed amendment: Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Norway, the United Kingdom and the United States. Having considered draft amendments prepared by the Secretariat, the Committee approved them for circulation, with a view to adoption at 66. The delegation of the United States expressed the view that as the North American Emission Control Area (ECA) and United States Caribbean Sea ECA had already been designated for the control of NO emissions to the Tier III standard, and entered into force, the effective date of 1 January 2016 should be retained for those ECAs. Furthermore, the United States proposed an additional amendment that would provide for the agreed amendment of the effective date to 1 January 2021 to be applicable to any future ECA designated to control NO emissions to the Tier III standard. The Committee agreed to the conclusion by the Correspondence Group that engines fuelled solely by gaseous fuels, e.g. pure LNG, should be required to comply with the provisions of regulation 13 of
Page 6 MARPOL Annex VI. The Committee invited interested delegations to submit proposed draft amendments to MARPOL Annex VI for consideration by 66, with a view to approval. IMO model course on energy efficiency operation of ships The Committee noted the updated version of the draft IMO Model Course and instructed the Secretariat to publish it as a final version of IMO Model Course on energy-efficient operation of ships. Application of chapter 4 of MARPOL Annex VI to ships not propelled by mechanical means 64 had approved the unified interpretation of the application of SEEMP to platforms and drilling rigs (.1/Circ.795), in which platforms (including FPSOs and FSUs) and drilling rigs regardless of their propulsion, are excluded from ships required to keep on board a SEEMP. While considering the above unified interpretation, the Working Group, at 64, had noted that it would be necessary to amend regulation 19 of MARPOL Annex VI to identify that the requirements under chapter 4 of MARPOL Annex VI do not apply to platforms and drilling rigs. The Committee considered comments from IACS, highlighting that ships without any propulsion units/generators or any other power driven device on board (e.g. deck cargo barges) would not need to be provided with a SEEMP and, as a consequence, no IEE Certificate needs to be issued. The observer from IACS sought clarification whether non self-propelled barges, which are fitted with a generator and/or pump engines (e.g. tank barges), should also not be required to keep a SEEMP on board and not be issued with an IEEC as 64 had decided that FPSOs/FSUs/MODUs would not need to keep on board a SEEMP. IACS proposed to develop a unified interpretation on this matter. The Committee considered a Norwegian proposal to amend regulation 19 of MARPOL Annex VI to specify that the provisions of chapter 4 shall not apply to ships not propelled by mechanical means, such as platforms, drilling rigs and barges, etc. The Committee approved amendments draft amendments to regulation 19 of MARPOL Annex VI for circulation with a view to their adoption at 66. The Committee also approved a unified interpretation, to be disseminated as.1/circ.814, to address the matter until the entry into force of the amendments. Update of the GHG emission estimate for international shipping The Committee requested the Secretariat to initiate the Update Study in accordance with the agreed terms of reference, including establishment of the Steering Committee as agreed by the Committee, so that work could begin in 2013, with a view to the final report of the Update Study being submitted to 66. Draft amendments to the form of Garbage Record Book under MARPOL Annex V The Committee approved the draft amendments to the form of Garbage Record Book under MARPOL Annex V, for circulation, with a view to adoption at 66 The delegation of Vanuatu, in referring to the agreement to replace the heading of the column "to reception facilities or other ships (m 3 )" with "to reception facilities (m 3 )" based on the understanding that any waste collecting ship (barge) is part of a reception facility, pointed out that there are many cases where waste collecting ships are not part of a reception facility, such as supporting vessels for collecting garbage from offshore facilities and mobile offshore units (MOUs). The delegation was of the view that, although the proposed change would not materially affect the heading, it would be desirable that Governments could have the same understanding, with a view to avoiding differing interpretations. Electronic record books under MARPOL The Committee established the Correspondence Group on the use of electronic record books under MARPOL under the coordination of Australia 2, and instructed it to prepare draft guidance for the use of electronic record books under MARPOL, taking into account the ongoing work of the FAL Committee in this respect. 2 Mr. Paul Nelson (paul.nelson@amsa.gov.au)
Page 7 IMO Dispersant Guidelines Having considered the finalized draft texts of parts I and II of the updated IMO Dispersant Guidelines, as developed by the OPRC-HNS Technical Group, the Committee approved the finalized draft texts of parts I and II of the Guidelines and instructed the Secretariat to carry out final editing and to prepare the respective parts for publishing through the IMO Publishing Service. IMO in situ burning guidelines Having considered the finalized draft text of the IMO in situ burning guidelines, as agreed by the OPRC-HNS Technical Group, the Committee approved the finalized draft text of the IMO in situ burning guidelines and instructed the Secretariat to carry out any final editing and to prepare the document for publishing through the IMO Publishing Service. Operational guidelines on sunken and submerged oil assessment and removal techniques The Committee considered the finalized text of the Operational guidelines on sunken and submerged oil assessment and removal techniques, which was finalized by the OPRC-HNS Technical Group, and approved the finalized draft guidelines and instructed the Secretariat to carry out any final editing and to prepare the document for publishing through the IMO Publishing Service. Decisions relating to the development of the Polar Code The Committee took the following decisions relative to the development of the Polar Code: The Committee agreed to prohibit any discharge into the sea of oil or oily mixtures from any ships. Requirements for reception facilities will be further considered. It was premature to regulate the use of heavy fuel oil (HFO) on ships operating in Arctic waters, noting the view of some delegations that it might be desirable and possible to have such regulations in place in the future. The proposal for regulating grey water discharge did not receive support. Rather than a prohibition, discharge of food waste into the sea would only be allowed under certain conditions. A proposal for prohibiting shipboard incineration in Polar Regions within 12 nautical miles from the nearest land, ice shelf, land-fast ice, or area of ice concentration in excess of 10 per cent ice coverage did not receive support. Temperature testing requirements for ballast water management systems will need to be considered. Restructuring of the Sub-Committees Although there was vigorous discussion, there was wide support for the Secretary-General's proposal for restructuring of the sub-committees as part of the wider programme of review and reform of the Organization. The proposal is to amalgamate the FP, DE and SLF Sub-Committees into two subcommittees, amalgamate the NAV and COMSAR Sub-Committees into one sub-committee, slightly restructuring of the BLG and DSC Sub-Committees, and the rename BLG, DSC, FSI and STW Sub- Committees to better reflect their current work. The Committee agreed, in principle, to the proposal subject to the concurrent decision of the. Further refinement of the proposed restructuring and allocation of work will be considered by a working group to be established at 92. Work program The planned outputs for the Committee likely to affect the offshore industries include the matters listed below. These are subject to adjustment in accordance with the final decision to be taken on the restructuring of the sub-committees. Description Number Parent Coordinating Associated Target Consideration of IACS unified interpretations 1.1.2.2 All Continuous
Page 8 Description Number Parent Coordinating Associated Target Report on policy input/guidance to ISO TC 8: development of industry consensus standards 1.1.2.25 Secretariat Continuous Report on policy input/guidance to PSC regimes: related IMO developments 1.1.2.26 FSI Continuous Harmonized provisions relating to the safe, secure and efficient carriage of dangerous goods following participation in the activities of UNCOE TDG, GHS and IAEA 1.3.5.1 DSC Continuous Additional guidelines for implementation of the BWM Convention, including port State control 2.0.1.8 BLG FSI 2015 Revision of the Standard specification for shipboard incinerators (resolution.76(40)) Non-mandatory instruments: other relevant guidelines pertaining to equivalents set forth in regulation 4 of MARPOL Annex VI and not covered by other guidelines Non-mandatory instruments: guidelines called for under paragraph 2.2.5.6 of the NO Technical Code Unified interpretation of the MARPOL regulations 2.0.1.10 DE 2013 2.0.1.11 BLG 2015 2.0.1.12 BLG 2015 2.0.1.18 All Continuous Review of consolidated audit summary reports and making the IMO instruments implementation Code (III Code) and auditing mandatory 2.0.2.1 Assy Council FSI 2015 Development of a mandatory Code of ships operating in polar waters 5.2.1.17 DE FP COMSAR NAV SLF STW 2014 Follow-up to the GESAMP study on "Estimates of Oil Entering the Marine Environment from Sea-based Activities" Mandatory instruments: follow-up to the Hong Kong Convention on Ship Recycling, including development and adoption of associated guidelines Provision for the reduction of noise from commercial shipping and its adverse impacts on marine life 7.1.1.1 2015 7.1.2.1 2015 7.1.2.3 DE 2014 Development of a Code for the transport and handling of limited amounts of hazardous and noxious liquid substances in bulk on offshore support vessels 7.1.2.15 BLG DE 2015
Page 9 Description Number Parent Coordinating Associated Target Method to undertake environmental risk and response benefit assessments Review of relevant non-mandatory instruments as a consequence of the amended MARPOL Annex VI and the NOx Technical Code Further development of mechanisms needed to achieve the limitation or reduction of CO 2 emissions from international shipping 7.1.2.18 2015 7.3.1.1 BLG 2015 7.3.2.1 Annual Mandatory instruments: development of goalbased ship construction standards for all types of ships, including safety, security and protection of the marine environment 10.0.1.2 2015 Dates for forthcoming sessions 66 will be held from 31 March to 4 April 2014; and 67 and 68 are tentatively scheduled to be held in October 2014 and May 2015, respectively. Agenda items for future meetings, review groups, working groups and drafting groups It was agreed, in principle, to establish review groups (RG), working groups (WG) and drafting groups (DG) at futures sessions as follows [square brackets indicate the decision is tentative]: Item 66 67 68 Harmful aquatic organisms in ballast water Recycling of ships Air pollution and energy efficiency Further technical and operational measures for enhancing the energy efficiency of international shipping Reduction of GHG emissions from ships Consideration and adoption of amendments to mandatory instruments Interpretations of, and amendments to, MARPOL and related instruments Implementation of the OPRC Convention and the OPRC-HNS Protocol and relevant Conference resolutions RG WG WG WG DG [RG] WG DG RG [RG] [DG] Identification and protection of Special Areas and PSSAs Inadequacy of reception facilities Harmful anti-fouling systems for ships Promotion of implementation and enforcement of MARPOL and related instruments
Page 10 Item 66 67 68 Role of the human element Noise from commercial shipping and its adverse impacts on marine life [] [] Elections The Committee unanimously elected Mr. Arsenio Dominguez (Panama) as Chairman and Dr. Naomi Parker (New Zealand) as Vice-Chairman, both for 2014. The complete report of the Committee, as prepared by the IMO Secretariat, is available on the IMO portion of the IADC Website at: http://www.iadc.org/committees/offshore/imo.html. These documents are password protected. IADC members should contact me to obtain the password. Please feel free to contact me by phone (1 / 713 292 1964) or e-mail (alan.spackman@iadc.org) with any questions you may have regarding this report.