CURRENT AWARENESS BULLETIN - IMO

‘War room’ prompts fighting talk "The latest initiative to enable charterers to compare the energy
efficiency of individual ships has attracted attention and opprobrium in equal measure. Its backers claim
shipping has done “pretty well nothing” to tackle CO2 emissions and critics have branded it “bizarre” and
“unhelpful”. Launched with a fanfare by the Carbon War Room – a coalition of business leaders seeking
market-led solutions to climate change – ShippingEfficiency.org uses the IMO’s Energy Efficiency Design
Index (EEDI) to generate ratings for 60,000 ships on the IHS Fairplay database. ShippingEfficiency.org
says the obtained EEDI number is “transposed and benchmarked against other vessels of the same ship
type and size range to create an easy-to-understand and recognised rating.” At the launch, Carbon War
Room figurehead Richard Branson claimed shipping had done “pretty well nothing” to combat climate
change, as its ships “polluted like mad”. He said a more sustainable industry could also be more
profitable." LLOYD’S LIST, 23 December 2010, pp 26-27
7. PORTS AND HARBOURS
Only 11 flags meet low-risk ship criteria - By David Osler "Just 11 flag states have so far met the flag
criteria for low-risk ships under the Paris Memorandum of Understanding’s controversial new inspection
regime, which enters into force on January 1, leaving ships signed up to any other register potentially
subject to more regular port state control checks. Making the cut are Cyprus, Denmark, Germany,
Greece, Liberia, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Spain, Sweden and the United Kingdom. Among the major
players conspicuous by their absence are Panama, the Marshall Islands, Bahamas, Malta, Singapore and
China. The regime is intended to represent a major shake-up in existing port state control arrangements in
the Paris MoU region, working on the principle of rewarding ships that perform well while penalising those
that do not." LLOYD’S LIST, 2 December 2010, p 1
Brussels readies third assault on port services - By Justin Stares "New European Commission policy
paper expected to address dock labour issues. Despite two high-profile failures the European
Commission is inching towards a new attempt to legislate in the field of port services. Ports were expected
to be addressed in the forthcoming commission policy paper entitled The Future of Transport, an official
told a conference in Brussels." LLOYD’S LIST, 2 December 2010, p 2
Port state checklist launched "Avoiding port state control (PSC) detentions is the main aim of a new
checklist in a series produced by Lloyd’s Register and the UK P&I Club. It is designed to help crews and
ship managers avoid common PSC non-compliances. These were identified after a comprehensive
sample analysis of the classed fleet between 2007 and 2009. The most common deficiencies noted by
authorities in ISM-related detentions involve the maintenance of the ship and its equipment, a category
that had three-and-a-half times more deficiencies noted than any other. The list is the fifth in a series of
pocket checklists produced by Lloyd’s Register in conjunction with the UK P&I Club to help compliance
with international conventions. All are available from www.webstore.lr.org or www.ukpandi.com."
FAIRPLAY SOLUTIONS, December 2010, p 4
Brussels scuttles plans for European Union coastguard - By ustin Stares “A study to assess the
feasibility of setting up a European Union coastguard has been shelved, the European Commission has
admitted. Four years after it was due to reveal its findings, the commission said the study was “poor” and
it would not be published. Brussels sources say the study’s authors were “unrealistic” in their assessment
and did not take into account the multi-faceted nature of existing coastguard services.” LLOYD’S LIST, 16
December 2010, p 1
UK ports move to accelerate truck inspections - By Roger Hailey “Vehicle inspections on trucks
entering British ferry ports have been given a formal framework in an effort to avoid lengthy queues and
port operation delays. The British Ports Association and the UK Major Ports Group have signed a
memorandum with the Vehicle and Operator Services Agency, which conducts checks on trucks for
possible weight and driver infringements.” LLOYD’S LIST, 16 December 2010, p 2
Crime and punishment in port state control Regulation - By Julian Macqueen “Rule-breaking is a
common activity. But not all rules are considered of equal importance. Break a minor rule and expect a
minor penalty; break a major rule and expect tougher treatment. This is how most people would see it
even if there are areas of modern urban life — for example, parking — where some would argue that such
a commonly held assumption is being challenged. Still, it seems that shipping could be about to become
one of those areas. Certainly, the appearance of an extraordinary document on a protection and
indemnity club’s website a couple of weeks ago suggested that this is, indeed, the case. The document
did not mince its words on its chosen topic — the chances of a ship being fined in a Spanish port.”
LLOYD’S LIST, 16 December 2010, p 4
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