AP Moller - Maersk calls for strict enforcement of ECAs - Hellenic Shipping News Worldwide

Posted June 6, 2013 -  Source: Seatrade Global - Hellenic Shipping News Worldwide

Maersk senior executive has called for strong enforcement of low sulphur fuel use in Emission Control Areas (ECAs) to ensure a level playing field.
“We think this is a game changer and the temptation not comply is significant,” Claus Hemmingson, partner and member of the board of AP Moller – Maersk, told the opening forum of Nor-Shipping 2013. “If enforcement is not sufficient those not following the rules get a competitive advantage.”
For an aframax tanker not using low sulphur can mean a cost difference of $15,000 per day and the difference can be even greater for containerships.

“The risk of not complying and getting caught must be real and the penalty must be considerable as this is necessary to ensure fair competition,” Hemmingson said.
Speaking to Seatrade Global Hemmingson explained, “So far I have not seen concrete procedures as to how countries are going to monitor and how they are going to control that the shipping lines trading those routes are actually living up to the regulation.”
He said that it was an issue for Port State Control regimes to ensure that the use of low sulphur fuel was enforced in ECAs.
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Related story:

Environmental Protection Agency to increase ECA enforcement

The United States Environmental Enforcement Agency (EPA) has announced that it will trial vessel fly-overs to monitor compliance with MARPOL Annex VI.
Initially undergoing trials in the upper Chesapeake Bay area, it is expected that the fly-over program will be extended to include other areas which fall under the North America Emission Control Area (NA ECA).
The fly-overs will be monitoring and testing emissions from vessels to ensure the fuel oil being used on board contains less than 1% maximum sulphur content, as required by the ECA.
The North American ECA has been in force since 1st August 2012. The maximum sulphur content permissible is to be reduced even further (to 0.1%) by 1st January 2015.
The new fly-over trials support further targeting by EPA and USCG to ensure vessels are compliant with the MARPOL Annex VI rules as the one year anniversary of the ECA implementation approaches.

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