While shipowners are taking care of whar appeared of IMO’s MEPC 78, extra decarbonization procedures remain in the pipe
Another terrible brand-new phrase has actually emerged at the International Maritime Organization: FONAR. It means Fuel Oil Non-Availability Reports And currently, shipowner are being advised not to make use of a FONAR as a pretense to make use of or lug non-compliant gas when the IMO cap on the sulfur web content of aquatic gas enter into result on January 1, 2020.
The term has actually arised complying with recently’s conference of IMO’s sub-committee on Pollution Prevention and also Respons, that made “substantial progress” on prep work for the sulfur cap, according the Danish Maritime Authority.
IMO participant states provisionally concurred a variety of procedures for constant execution and also enforcement of the brand-new guidelines that have actually currently been sent to the IMO’s Marine Environment Protection Committee for conclusion in May this year.
The procedures being settled this year consist of standards for tasting of gas oil aboard ships and also standards for constant execution consisting of the usage those Fuel Oil Non-Availability Reports (FONARs) from ships.
The International Chamber of Shipping keeps in mind that, in outstanding situations, safety and security or functional worries concerning the top quality of reduced sulfur gas might be a legitimate factor for shipowners to be released with a Fuel Oil Non Availability Report (FONAR)
However, ICS is advising shipowners that this choice need to not be viewed as a “free pass” either to make use of or lug non-complaint gas.
“FONARs remain a tool of last resort and are not something that a ship will be able to use routinely” claimed ICSDeputy Secretary General Simon Bennett “The circumstances in which a FONAR can be used are very limited and conditions attached to their use will be strict. Shipowners still need to remain focused on doing everything possible to ensure full compliance in 2020.”
ICS states it is feasible that in some ports around the world shipowners might at first run into top quality or compatibility issues with the brand-new 0.5% combined gas which they might have meant to make use of. But ICS emphasizies that the greater expense of alternate certified gas– consisting of 0.1% distillates if these are the just various other gas offered– will certainly not be taken into consideration as a legitimate basis for asserting non-availability of risk-free and also certified gas.
ICS is advises ship drivers of its just recently upgraded support on ‘Compliance with the 2020 Global Sulfur Cap’ which specifies that ships will certainly be anticipated to shelter and also make use of various other certified gas consisting of 0.10% Smax distillates in instances where 0.50% Smax gas are not available. Exceptions to this alternative might just be approved by Port State Control (PSC) authorities complying with factor to consider of the capability of the ship’s gas oil system to securely keep, procedure and also take in various other certified gas and also the demand for cleaning the containers of all staying gas deposit before filling non-compatible options right into the very same storage tank. In such instances, ship drivers should make sure the schedule of docudrama proof aboard to confirm these constraints throughout succeeding PSC evaluations complying with the issuance of any type of FONAR.
ICS likewise alerts that just the minimal feasible amount of non-compliant gas need to be bunkered if a FONAR is released, as it is most likely that any type of staying non-compliant gas will certainly be called for by PSC to be debunkered at the following port of phone call, and also can not be made use of on succeeding trips.
ICS states that a FONAR ought to not be taken into consideration as an exception from the appropriate sulfur limitations. According to MARPOL, it depends on PSC authorities that get the FONAR at the following port of phone call to think about all appropriate situations and also the proof offered to identify whether to restrain the ship. PSC will certainly likewise think about the variety of FONARs a ship has actually sent in the previous year, along with the number the driver has actually sent for various other ships in its fleet and also whether various other ships on comparable trips have actually sent FONAR records.
“Above all else, the onus will be on the ship operator to provide documentary evidence that every reasonable step has been taken to ensure compliant bunkers will be available in the planned bunkering port,” Bennett ended.
