Ship owners are facing yet another round of maritime regulations that will impact their operations: the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) introduction of the ballast water management convention in September 2017 has been followed by the 1 January 2020 global sulphur cap.

Competence, the overall ability of an individual to accomplish a task properly is the main quest during the recruiting process of any company.

In view of the emissions regulations entering into force, first within the ECA zones with the 0.1% Sulphur cap on January 1st 2015 and globally with the 0.5% Sulphur cap on January 1st 2020, Oceanking has started looking into different exhaust gas cleaning system makers, in order to select and provide a dependable solution to those customers choosing scrubbers as a compliance method.

With 4,341 registered vessels, aggregating more than 164,5 million gross tons, or 11 per cent of the world fleet and average age of the fleet 10 years, the Liberian Registry is the largest quality registry worldwide. In addition, Liberia became the preferred flag of choice for Greek shipowners according to the Greek Shipping Co-operation Committee of London with 840 flagged ships and over 72,5 million DWT, representing 21,3% of the 4,017 ships of the Greek controlled fleet, as published in March 2019.

But as the fleet grows, Liberia has not lost sight of her social responsibilities as a Flag State as well as her role as an environmentally aware and responsible maritime administration, to be rightfully recognized as the Liberian-flag fleet to be the greenest fleet afloat. In addition to the long term initiatives for utilizing technology to reduce paper waste, Liberia has also launched recent new initiatives to help shipowners improve their green credentials and meet other corporate social responsibilities.

The Liberian Registry became the first flag state to participate in the Green Award program. Green Award brings together ship operators who are willing to improve the safety and environmental performance of their vessels, and ports or private companies in the maritime sector which are willing to support vessels that go beyond international conventions and legislation in terms of ship lay-out and equipment, quality of operations and management. Green Award-certified ships will be recognized and rewarded by the Liberian Registry for their efforts to minimize emissions and risks of incidents and accidents, while ensuring the best care for people and the environment. The Registry will offer a 3% tonnage tax discount annually to all Liberian-flag vessels that are certified. The discount will apply continually as long as the vessel remains in the Green Award program.

Moreover, the Registry has launched an innovative software product designed to replace traditional paper oil record books (ORB) and to facilitate correct ORB entries into an efficient electronic format. Liberia’s IMO-compliant Electronic Oil Record Book (ε-ORB) is intended to address a variety of issues, including oil record books being reported missing onboard, failure to document entries in the ORB of internal transfer of oily mixture, discrepancies between entry into the ORB and actual capacity of the oily water separator, and falsification of log entries. Created in accordance with MARPOL requirements and certified by Lloyd’s Register, the ε-ORB is designed to establish transparency, credibility and traceability.
The Registry’s most recently introduced Computer-Based Training (CBTs) on Cyber and Ship Security and Marine Environmental Awareness have been widely accepted and applauded by shipping as these are applicable to any vessel irrespective of flag and would benefit training of seafarers and ashore personnel on security and environmental awareness issues meeting IMO’s requirement.
The Cyber and Ship Security training provides a comprehensive overview of cyber-security issues, including concepts such as malware, network security, identity theft, risk management, and other common threats to maritime security.
The Marine Environmental Awareness training, developed in partnership with North American Marine Environment Protection Association (NAMEPA), Netherlands-based ProSea Marine Education, and Maritime Training Services (MTS), provides a comprehensive overview of the complex and diverse marine environment, explaining how it is impacted by shipboard waste, discharge and spills, etc.
Liberia is planning to develop a library of training programs to protect, the environment, promote crew safety, and ensure ships in their fleet are secure.
Active IMO Participation and taking the stand on new emission regulations
The Liberia Registry actively participates in all meetings at IMO and promotes IMO as the appropriate UN specialized organization to address the reduction of GHG emission from international shipping. Shipping is a global industry and Liberia works towards global solutions and regulations that are free of unnecessary, disproportionate or obsolete administrative demands and do not compromise safety, security and the protection of the environment. IMO has adopted operational and technical regulations and measures to reduce GHG emissions from international ships. Liberia has worked to ensure these regulations provide alternative compliance options for shipowners, such as the use of scrubbers and alternative future technologies, in meeting the global sulphur cap in 2020. Liberia is looking optimistically to the new technologies and, in particular, new fuels that have started to be employed in the shipping industry. While LNG and LPG as bunkers has received a lot of attention, Liberia is proud to also have been involved in the development of various alternative fuel proposals including flagging the world’s first ethylene/ethane carrier with dual fuel engine, capable of burning ethane as fuel and carrying ethane as cargo. Liberia worked alongside the shipowner and the classification society in conducting the required technical review and hazard assessment to ensure acceptance and a successful delivery.
Recognizing the potential challenges in implementing the 0.50% sulphur limit in 2020, Liberia assisted the shipping industry in presenting potential actions that IMO should consider supporting successful implementation of the global sulphur limit. Liberia supported the establishment of a global data collection system for monitoring and reporting of CO2 emissions from shipping under the auspices of IMO. The introduction of unilateral or regional regulations, such as MRV, will duplicate regulations and result in additional burdens on Administrations and industry. Liberia is hopeful that the MRV regulations will be amended so that to be aligned with the IMO global data collection system.
Since shipowners and operators hold a disproportionate responsibility in meeting the challenges associated with the implementation of this limit, they should not need to guess where the fuel will be available. To assist shipowners and operators meeting their responsibilities, Liberia recently submitted a paper to the IMO Marine Environment Protection Committee calling for early reporting on the availability of fuel oil that is compliant with the IMO’s 2020 sulphur limit. This is only one example of how Liberia embraces the technological changes of the industry while looking out for its shipowners.

Further, we know that shipping is an industry of partnership and not a one-way street, and we are committed to making sure to share with our clients and owners our experiences, our networks, our technology, and our global network to ensure their vessels get the support they need to operate in an ever changing and increasingly complicated regulatory landscape.

The aim for continuous improvement, innovation, technology utilization to improve existing system for ships to operate efficiently, safely and environmentally friendly is a continuous effort. Liberia is committed on this continuous effort moving towards systems, procedures and processes that will improve not only shipping but the community at large and this is a commitment.

 * Senior Vice President & General Manager of the Liberian International Ship & Corporate Registry’s (LISCR) Piraeus office, managers of the Liberian Registry

Interview with Edmund Hughes, Head, Air Pollution and Energy Efficiency, International Maritime Organization (IMO).

The carbon-robust model can assist ship owners in choosing future-proof vessels, ensuring long-term competitiveness and profitability as the maritime industry decarbonizes.