CURRENT AWARENESS BULLETIN - IMO

4.3m dwt Chittagong yards have dismantled, and if uncertainty continues in Bangladesh this figure could
stay flat further into this month." LLOYD’S LIST, 1 December 2010, p 8
Cash buyer supports Bangladeshi yards to gain ISO certificates - By Liz McCarthy "The world’s
largest cash buyer of ships sold for demolition, GMS, is helping three Bangladesh recycling yards to gain
certification from the International Organization for Standardization. The US-based company announced
last week that with its technical assistance the yards had been recommended to be awarded the ISO
9001, ISO 14001, OHSAS 18001 and ISO 30000 certificates. The move, said GMS, “demonstrated the
commitment and readiness of Bangladeshi ship recyclers towards raising standards at their recycling
yards and ensuring environmentally sound and responsible ship recycling practices in compliance” with
the International Maritime Organizations’ Hong Kong Convention on the Environmentally Safe and Sound
Recycling of Ships 2009." LLOYD’S LIST, 20 December 2010, p 9
Bangladesh scrap recovery hit by second court ruling - By Brian Reyes "The High Court in
Bangladesh has again banned the import of scrap ships into the country, dealing a crippling blow to
Chittagong breakers just as they were preparing to get back to business. The decision followed an
application by the Bangladesh Environmental Lawyers Association, which argued that previous court
rulings requiring tighter environmental and labour safety standards had been ignored. Chittagong yards
had been out of action for around nine months but interim measures put in place by the government had
allowed some sites to import vessels again. The ruling means no imports will be allowed until a definitive
resolution is found." LLOYD’S LIST, 21 December 2010, p 7
Sustainable think-tank to consider future ship types - By Craig Eason "Greek tanker owner Tsakos
Energy Navigation hopes its participation in the Sustainable Shipping Initiative will lead to a clearer picture
of how shipowners can get vessels built that are compliant with future industry regulations. TEN vicepresident
Vasilis Papageorgiou points to the Catch-22 situation that owners find themselves in today,
being expected by society to build sustainable vessels, but not knowing what the rules will be, nor having
sufficient support from shipyards in delivering them." LLOYD’S LIST, 21 December 2010, p 5
IACS delight at the adoption of Common Structural Rules by IMO - By Felicity Landon "For Derek
Hodgson, permanent secretary of the International Association of Classification Societies, the highlight of
2010 for class has undoubtedly revolved around the harmonisation of the Common Structural Rules for
tankers and bulkers, and reaching agreement with the International Maritime Organization regarding their
adoption into goal-based standards. As a result, from June 1, 2016, new regulations to be adopted into
Solas will require new bulkers and tankers of 150 m long and above to be designed and built to
classification rules which have been verified by the IMO as meeting the new goal-based ship construction
standards. “That is a fairly tight programme but we were very pleased that the IMO Maritime Safety
Committee agreed the implementation schedule,” says Mr Hodgson." LLOYD’S LIST, 23 December 2010,
p 11
10. SHIPPING
Australia signals ship register intent - By Roger Hailey "Australia's government has met an election
promise to strengthen the nation’s shipping industry by issuing a discussion paper whose policy initiatives
include an international register and a tonnage tax. Infrastructure and Transport Minister Anthony
Albanese said that the reforms being proposed by the Labor government were intended to “restore the
viability and reverse the decline” of Australia’s shipping industry." LLOYD’S LIST, 2 December 2010, p 5
Cyprus urges EU to act on Turkish ban - By Justin Stares "Cyprus took its frustration over the longstanding
Turkish ban on its shipping interests to the European Union council of transport ministers
yesterday after hinting that tougher measures against the Turkish fleet could be required. Cypriot minister
Erato Kozakou-Marcoullis said she would ask the European Commission to come up with
“countermeasures” if Turkey did not to drop its 23-year-old ban, which affects Cypriot-flagged vessels,
ships managed by Cyprus-based companies, and ships calling in Turkey after making a Cyprus call."
LLOYD’S LIST, 3 December 2010, p 2
Bahamas flag steps up bid to woo Asian owners - By Colum Murphy "The Bahamas Maritime
Authority has chosen Hong Kong as its base for attracting more Asian shipowners to the Bahamas flag.
“Hong Kong is close to many big shipowners,” said The Bahamas Maritime Authority deputy director
Douglas Bell. The Hong Kong office, which opened in late October, would target Chinese shipowners,
both from the mainland and Hong Kong, as well as shipowners from Japan and South Korea, he said. An
important step towards achieving that goal was to change perceptions among shipbuilders, many of whom
remain loyal to the Panama flag, he said." LLOYD’S LIST, 20 December 2010, p 5
13