Hot Port News from GAC
20-Dec-2019
USE OF EXHAUST GAS CLEANING SYSTEMS
Australia
TEMPORARY SUSPENSION OF CARGO HANDLING
Cagayan de Oro, Philippines
PORT AIMS TO FURTHER REDUCE CO2 EMISSIONS
Antwerp, Belgium
SOIL INVESTIGATION WORKS OFF RESORTS WORLD
Singapore
Use of Exhaust Gas Cleaning Systems
Friday, December 20, 2019, Australia
The Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA) has issued a Marine Notice to advise vessel owners, operators and masters of Australia’s requirements for the use of Exhaust Gas Cleaning Systems (EGCS) to support compliance with the sulphur limit of 0.50 mass per cent concentration (m/m) in fuel oil from 1 January 2020 as required by the International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships (MARPOL) Annex VI and Australia’s domestic law.
From 1 January 2020, the sulphur content of fuel oil used for propulsion or operation on board a vessel must not exceed 0.50 per cent m/m.
Ship owners and operators have three options to comply with the 0.50 per cent m/m fuel oil sulphur limit:
a. use of fuel oil with a sulphur content not exceeding 0.50 per cent m/m, or
b. use of alternative fuels that have a sulphur content of 0.50 per cent m/m or less, or
c. use of an EGCS, approved and operated in accordance with International Maritime Organization (IMO) requirements.
The EGCS must be approved by the vessel’s flag State, or a recognised organisation appointed by the flag State and operated in accordance with IMO requirements, including the IMO 2015 Guidelines for Exhaust Gas Cleaning Systems (resolution MEPC.259(68)).
Crew members must be properly trained in the use of the EGCS and the system must be kept in good working order, with maintenance up to date and monitoring devices fully operational. The EGCS approval documents, as well as operational and maintenance records for the EGCS must be maintained on board the vessel and made available for inspection upon Port State Control Officer (PSCO) request.
The master, owner or operator of a vessel using an EGCS is requested to notify AMSA before first arrival at an Australian port after 1 January 2020, and provide the following information to EGCS@amsa.gov.au:
a. Vessel name (in email subject title)
b. IMO number
c. Arrival port
d. Arrival date
e. EGCS Scheme A or Scheme B approval
f. Make and Model of EGCS
g. Open-loop, closed-loop or hybrid-type system
h. Results of all wash water testing that has been undertaken in accordance with 2015 Guidelines for Exhaust Gas Cleaning Systems.
For h), wash water testing should be conducted upon commissioning of the EGCS and repeated every twelve months, as a minimum, for a period of two years. Ships may be directed not to discharge wash-water from an EGCS in Australian waters if this data, or evidence that samples have been taken for analysis, cannot be provided to AMSA before arrival at the first Australian port.
If there is an EGCS malfunction, action must be taken as soon as possible to identify and remedy the malfunction. Any EGCS malfunction that lasts more than one hour, or repetitive malfunctions, should be reported to the flag State Administration and Competent Authority of the port State of the vessel’s destination. The report should include an explanation of the steps that are being taken to address the failure.
If the vessel’s EGCS cannot be returned to a compliant condition within one hour, the vessel must then change over to compliant fuel oil. If the vessel does not have sufficient compliant fuel oil to reach the next port of destination, the vessel will need to make a report to the relevant authorities, including the vessel’s flag State Administration and the Competent Authority for the next port of destination. The report must outline the vessel’s proposed course of action which might include bunkering compliant fuel oil at the next port or carrying out repair works. Where this occurs on an Australian Vessel or a Foreign Vessel within Australian waters, this report should be sent to reports@amsa.gov.au.
Any EGCS found to be not in compliance with IMO guidelines in any respect (including but not limited to the wash water discharge criteria) may be prohibited from use in Australian waters.
AMSA may take samples of EGCS wash water discharges for the purposes of further studies on potential environmental impacts.
AMSA is undertaking further assessment of potential cumulative impacts of EGCS wash water discharges, which may result in further restrictions on their use in Australian waters in the future.
For information about operations in Australia contact GAC Australia at shipping.australia@gac.com
Temporary suspension of cargo handling
Friday, December 20, 2019, Cagayan de Oro, Philippines
The International Port of Cagayan de Oro has announced that it will temporarily suspend cargo handling operations in observance of Christmas Day ad New Year’s Day celebrations, as follows:
– from 1930 hours on Tue 24 Dec to 0730 hours on Thu 26 Dec
– from 1930 hours on Tue 31 Dec to 0730 hours on Thu 2 Jan 2020.
A skeleton workforce will be deployed during the temporary suspensions to ensure smooth operations in case of unforeseen business activities inside the port.
For information about operations in the Philippines, contact GAC Philippines at philippines@gac.com
Port aims to further reduce CO2 emissions
Friday, December 20, 2019, Antwerp, Belgium
As the location of the largest energy & chemicals cluster in Europe, Port of Antwerp is the ideal location to foster collaboration between companies and take innovative steps towards CO2 reduction. To put this into practice eight leading players in the port area have joined forces. Air Liquide, BASF, Borealis, INEOS, ExxonMobil, Fluxys, Port of Antwerp and Total have signed a collaboration agreement to investigate the feasibility of facilities for Carbon Capture, Utilisation & Storage (CCUS) in the port. These facilities would be of the “open access” type, available to the entire industrial community in the port…
…The partners in the project believe that both applications can have a significant impact in the longer term and can make a useful contribution to achieving the energy and climate objectives at Flemish, Belgian and European level. If the proposals turn out to be technically and economically feasible, then development of such facilities can lead to reductions in CO2 emissions in the run-up to 2030.
In the first phase the partners will carry out detailed studies of the technical and economic feasibility of CO2 facilities to support CCUS. This analysis is expected to take around one year to complete…
…The feasibility study will also investigate the possibilities for CO2 storage. Belgium does not have suitable geological formations for storing CO2 underground, and so international collaboration will be necessary…
(For information about operations in Antwerp, contact GAC Belgium at agency.antwerp@gac.com)
Source: Extract from Port of Antwerp (www.portofantwerp.com) news release dated 17 December 2019
Soil investigation works off Resorts World
Friday, December 20, 2019, Singapore
From 23 Dec 2019 to 10 May 2020, soil investigation works will be carried out off Resorts World at Sentosa.
According to the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore Port Marine Notice No.130 of 2019, the works will be conducted 24 hours daily – including Sundays & Public Holidays – within the working area bounded by the following co-ordinates (WGS 84 Datum):
MBH A1) 1 deg. 15.475’N / 103 deg. 49.351’E
MBH A2) 1 deg. 15.473’N / 103 deg. 49.366’E
MBH A3) 1 deg. 15.473’N / 103 deg. 49.388’E
MBH A4) 1 deg. 15.466’N / 103 deg. 49.366’E
MBH A5) 1 deg. 15.461’N / 103 deg. 49.380’E
MBH B1) 1 deg. 15.516’N / 103 deg. 49.388’E
MBH B2) 1 deg. 15.510’N / 103 deg. 49.369’E
MBH B3) 1 deg. 15.493’N / 103 deg. 49.382’E
MBH B4) 1 deg. 15.476’N / 103 deg. 49.379’E
MBH B5) 1 deg. 15.483’N / 103 deg. 49.365’E
MBH B6) 1 deg. 15.483’N / 103 deg. 49.341’E
MBH B7) 1 deg. 15.499’N / 103 deg. 49.338’E
MBH B8) 1 deg. 15.493’N / 103 deg. 49.308’E
MBH B9) 1 deg. 15.483’N / 103 deg. 49.265’E
MBH B10) 1 deg. 15.504’N / 103 deg. 49.261’E
Soil investigation work will be carried out by drilling and sampling using a jack-up barge. Tug boats will be used to move the jack-up barges.
The safety zone is a circular area of 30m radius centred at the borehole.
A safety boat will be deployed in the vicinity to warn other craft about the work.
Craft involved in the works will exhibit the appropriate local and international day and night signals.
When in the vicinity of the working area, mariners are reminded to:
a) Keep well clear of the working area;
b) Maintain a proper lookout;
c) Proceed at a safe speed and to navigate with caution;
d) Maintain a listening watch on VHF Channel 5 (Cruise Bay Control);
and
e) Communicate with Cruise Bay Control on VHF Channel 5 for assistance, if required.
For information about operations in Singapore contact GAC Singapore at singapore@gac.com