The Committee will consider the implementation of the International Convention for the Control and Management of Ships’ Ballast Water and Sediments (BWM Convention), which will enter into force on 8 September 2017. IACS, whose members in their roles as Recognized Organizations will be heavily involved in verifying compliance with the provisions of the BWM Convention, wishes to see a pragmatic conclusion to the discussions on the implementation schedule, which is clear and will be capable of being globally and consistently implemented.
It is expected that MEPC 71 will finalise the Guidelines for Administration data verification procedures, in accordance with regulation 22A.7 of MARPOL Annex VI and the Guidelines for the development and management of the IMO Ship Fuel Oil Consumption Database. IACS considers that these instruments will be vital to the successful implementation of the Data collection system for fuel oil consumption of ships, which will be the first step in a three-step approach to IMO agreeing further technical and operational measures for enhancing the energy efficiency of international shipping – the second step being data analysis and the third step being decision making on what further measures, if any, are required.
Noting the work its Members undertake in verifying the global and consistent implementation of IMO agreed requirements on behalf of the IMO Member States (in their capacities as Recognized Organizations), and to facilitate clarity for all industry stakeholders, IACS has submitted or co-sponsored papers on the following issues to MEPC 71:
- MEPC 71/4/18 provides a draft unified interpretation on how the International Ballast Water Management Certificate should be completed. The paper discusses how the term “installed” is to be interpreted in the context of systems being delivered onboard a ship and thereafter commissioned.
- MEPC 71/5/4 provides the latest version of the IACS Unified Interpretation (UI) MPC 51 on engine test cycles as required by paragraph 3.2.1 of the NOX Technical Code 2008. This UI clarifies the certification of engines that are intended to operate as part of an Integrated Electric Propulsion (IEP) system i.e. engines driving an alternator supplying electrical power for both propulsion and auxiliary power.
- MEPC 71/5/13 and MEPC 71/INF.28 (co-sponsored with Denmark, Germany, Japan and Spain) provide information on the progress and present status of the work to improve the 2013 Interim guidelines for determining minimum propulsion power to maintain the manoeuvrability of ships in adverse conditions (resolution MEPC.232(65), as updated by resolutions MEPC.255(67) and MEPC.262(68)).
- MEPC 71/9/7 proposes improvements to the text of the draft 2017 Guidelines for the discharge of exhaust gas recirculation (EGR) bleed-off water. The paper also discusses some issues that IACS believes should be further considered e.g. the draft Guidelines should be explicitly connected to the NOx Technical Code 2008, as IACS sees challenges in applying the Guidelines without such a linkage.
- MEPC 71/INF.21 provides further information to facilitate the Committee’s consideration of whether the use of multiple engine operational profiles (Maps) for marine diesel engines certified under MARPOL Annex VI and the NOx Technical Code 2008 should be taken forward as a new item on the Organization’s work programme.
Any enquiries on the above should be sent to Paul Sadler, IACS Accredited Representative to IMO, at permsec@iacs.org.uk