Environment

The International Association of Classification Societies (IACS) published a new Unified Interpretation UI SC307 on hydrocarbon gas detection and bilge high level alarms in cargo pump-rooms. The UI is set to be implemented by IACS societies on ships contracted to be built on or after 1 January 2026.

The interpretation says:
1. Characteristics of the cargoes and their vapors (flammability, density, etc.) should be taken into consideration to determine the type and arrangement of detectors. Continue reading “IACS interpretation on hydrocarbon gas detection and bilge high level alarms”

From next year, the amended EU Monitoring, Reporting and Verification (MRV) regulations will be extended to cover general cargo vessels with a gross tonnage of 400 to 5000 and offshore vessels of 400 GT and above.
The St. Vincent and the Grenadines Maritime Authority has issued a circular explaining the key changes, including steps for operators introducing EU MRV for the first time.
Currently, the EU MRV regulations applies to ships of 5,000 GT and above, regardless of their flag, conducting commercial voyages to or from ports in the European Economic Area (EEA). EEA includes EU plus Norway and Iceland.
It requires the per-voyage and yearly monitoring of CO2 emissions to a central database and an annual public disclosure Continue reading “Steps in introducing EU MRV for the first time”

An increasing number of vessels have encountered unexpected port state issues related to sulphur emissions limit exceedance caused by inaccurate readings. These false measurement readings are often the result of poorly maintained exhaust gas analyzers. Classification DNV has guidance on the importance of calibration and maintenance routines, and of monitoring equipment performance.

Introduction
Malfunctions of SOx scrubbers or exhaust gas cleaning systems (EGCSs) that last more than one hour should be reported to the flag administration and the relevant port state administration. However, sometimes a malfunction may go undetected because the monitoring equipment does not register any increase in SO2 concentration. Often, the cause of false measurement readings is poor maintenance. Continue reading “DNV: How to identify false sulphur emissions readings”

CIMAC and the Maritime Battery Forum have published a joint white paper on the environmental impact of batteries in deep-sea shipping.

The paper demonstrates that there is still potential for battery usage within the industry to support decarbonization. While it is Continue reading “Maritime Battery Forum joint whitepaper published”