From 1st October, amendments to MARPOL Annex I, II, V, VI and the NOx Technical Code will permit the use of electronic record books, to enable the accurate record keeping of movements of shipboard substances and materials hazardous to the environment. These amendments follow resolutions adopted at Marine Environment Protection Committee (MEPC) 74 in May 2019, and are applicable to:

• Oil Record Book, parts I and II
• Cargo Record Book
• Garbage Record Book, parts I and II
• Ozone-depleting Substances Record Book
• Recording of the tier and on/off status of marine diesel engines
• Record of Fuel Oil Changeover; and
• Record Book of Engine Parameters.

An electronic record book used as an alternative to an official hard copy record book is required to be assessed by the Flag Administration following which a written confirmation (Declaration of MARPOL Electronic Record Book) will be issued. More info: Safety 4 Sea 

The next key regulatory milestone is the 2030 regulations where a reduction of 40% of carbon emissions is the current objective. It is widely expected that this threshold will be increased. To date, in the first quarter of 2020, the Maritime Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) reported that most ships calling at the ports of Singapore have complied with the regulation. It was further reported that based on the pre-arrival notification submitted to MPA, 96% of the ships calling at Singapore used compliant fuel. This excludes ships installed with open loop scrubbers that switch to using compliant fuel upon arriving at Singapore as the use of open loop scrubbers is prohibited in the port of Singapore. In addition, DNV GL reported about 4,000 ships being fitted with scrubbers and more were scheduled to do so during the year due to the price difference between heavy fuel oil (HFO) and low sulphur fuel oil (LSFO). This spread has since reduced to significantly below USD $100 per metric tonne. More information: Safety 4 Sea

Owners and operators require contingency plans for their BWTS as part of their preparations for the October IMO G8 type-approval deadline. The IMO G8 guidelines define the type-approval process for ballast water treatment systems (BWTS) under IMO legislation. The revised G8 guidelines, are robust and more in line with today’s U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) requirements.

All BWMS installed onboard ships on or after 28 October, 2020 will need to be approved for use in accordance with the BWMS Code or 2016 Guidelines (New G8). The new G8 Guidelines include more descriptive guidelines in respect to system testing, control and monitoring of system, and test reporting.

List of manufacturers that are in compliance with G8 Standards:

28 October 2020, is looming fast. After that date, only ballast water systems conforming to the 2016 G8 guidelines will comply with IMO criteria.

Albion Marine Solutions offers end-to-end solutions, managing all aspects of the project from selection and procurement of the suitable system to detailed engineering design, completion of modifications, installation, training and support. We maintain an extensive technical and commercial database of BWTS currently available on the market. Albion Marine Solutions closely collaborates with a number of BWTS suppliers. Our personnel are trained by equipment manufacturers, have marine background and hands-on experience in project management of fleet upgrade programs.

Please contact our general office (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.) for additional information

Albion Marine's team has successfully completed a 3D Scan, designing and onsite support for scrubber retrofit of Five 10000 TEU vessels and 14000 TEU vessels for a leading shipping company.