Draft new mandatory measures to cut the carbon intensity of existing ships have been agreed by an International Maritime Organization (IMO) working group.

In the uniquely challenging environment of Brazilian offshore regulations, offshore operators have told ABS one regulation poses more challenge than all the others: NR 37.
 
More than 40 percent of offshore operators surveyed by ABS during a webinar, FPSOs in Brazil: Pathways to Successful Regulatory Compliance, cited the health and safety on oil platforms regulation as their principal regulatory challenge.
 
Other regulations highlighted as challenging in the survey included NR 13: Boilers, Pressure Vessels, Piping and Tanks, with 25 percent of respondents singling it out as an issue and NR 10: Safety in Electrical Installations and Services, which 15 percent highlighted.
 
ABS has answered the call for comprehensive support to offshore operators in Brazil with the launch of the new BRZ and BRZ+ notations and the ABS Practical Considerations for Regulatory Compliance in Brazil, both providing detailed guidance on navigating the vast array of Brazil regulations, including NR 37, NR 13 and NR 10.
 
These regulations as well as others are included in a new online, interactive ABS FPSO map, simply illustrating the areas of an FPSO in which the ABS BRZ and BRZ+ notations apply. Find the map here.
 
“Brazilian Jurisdictional Waters represent a unique regulatory environment for offshore operators, with multiple agencies looking after the safety of the asset, the personnel and the environment,” said Matt Tremblay, ABS Senior Vice President, Global Offshore. “As the class society with the largest fleet of classed floating production installations both in Brazil and across the world, ABS is well placed to assist clients with regulatory compliance in this region. With an extensive team of specialists and industry-leading digital technologies to deliver that crucial operational advantage, ABS has the legacy, the knowledge, and the tools to fully support floating production operations in the region.”
 
The ABS BRZ and BRZ+ notations provide shipyards, designers, owners and operators with a design and construction-focused approach to help achieve compliance with regulations for FPSOs and FPUs operating in Brazilian Jurisdictional Waters. The ABS Practical Considerations for Regulatory Compliance in Brazil provides the detailed guidance for the implementation of physical regulatory requirements covered by each notation and will be made available to support ABS FPSO clients from the early stages of design. A high-level abstract, ABS Brazil Brief, which includes representative examples of the detailed content is now available to the industry.

The strength of the Caribbean maritime sector depends very much on the successful implementation of international regulations, says the Maritime Authority of Jamaica (MAJ).

Maritime trade between Arctic destinations and the rest of the world is expected to expand and an increasing number of ships are now undertaking voyages in polar waters.

The ABS Guide for Fire-Fighting Systems for Cargo Areas of Container Carriers has just been published, in an industry first.

The introduction of the IMO2020 sulphur cap as of 1 January 2020 marks a milestone for the shipping industry to reduce marine pollution and become more sustainable.