Liberia Tuesday submitted a paper to the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) Marine Environment Protection Committee (MEPC) to call for early reporting on the availability of 0.50% sulphur limit fuel oil in advance of 1 January 2020.
“Shipowners and operators hold a disproportionate responsibility in meeting the challenges associated with implementation of the 0.50% m/m global fuel oil sulphur limit and should not need to guess where or whether compliant fuel will be available,” says David Pascoe, Senior VP, Maritime Operations and Standards, Liberian International Ship & Corporate Registry (LISCR), the US-based manager of the Liberian Registry.
“Smooth and effective implementation requires cooperation and compliance by all stakeholders, including States and fuel oil suppliers.
“We are therefore urging IMO to issue a resolution or circular calling on States to report the availability of compliant fuel oil well in advance of 1 January 2020 to assist ship owners and operators meeting their responsibilities and gain experience on the carriage and use of the new fuels on their ships, test implementation plans, to assist in the smooth and effective transition to the new regulatory requirements.”
According to LISCR, it is critical that States carry out their responsibilities under MARPOL and SOLAS to promote the availability of fuel oils that are safe and comply with the new sulphur limit and to report availability in its ports and terminals to IMO.
IMO has established the means for States to effectively report through IMO’s Global Integrated Shipping Information System (GISIS).
Liberia’s submission to IMO comes after its co-sponsorship, together with major flags and industry organizations, submitted an IMO paper proposing the establishment of an Experience Building Phase (EBP) to help address the safety implications and other challenges associated with 2020-compliant fuels.
Originally posted by Manifold Times at https://www.manifoldtimes.com/news/d/liberia-proposes-lsfo-availability-report-ahead-of-imo-2020
Photo credit: International Maritime Organisation
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