An international information campaign on the new, stricter sulphur requirements and their enforcement will be launched in February and, at the same time, cooperation between the so-called SECA countries is further strengthened, Tthe Danish Maritime Authority (DMA) announced.
In February, there will be increased focus on the stricter sulphur limits that took effect on January 1, 2015 in the 16 Sulphur Emission Control Areas (SECA countries).
All these countries, which include Russia, the U.S. and a number of EU countries, have united around a joint information campaign with the purpose of disseminating knowledge about the new requirements and their enforcement as widely as possible.
In this connection, ships subject to port State control inspections in SECA countries will receive an information pamphlet, informing about the new regulations and asking a handful of control questions. It contains, inter alia, information about what the new requirements involve and how to comply with them.
Director General of the DMA Andreas Nordseth said, “With a joint and coordinated information campaign, the SECA countries are sending a strong signal to the global maritime industry: We stand united to secure reduced sulphur emissions from ships navigating our waters.”
At the same time, the cooperation established between the SECA countries will be further strengthened in late February when Denmark hosts a two-day international workshop which aims to try to solve some of the technical and legal challenges met in connection with enforcement of the sulphur regulations, including inter alia how to reveal any “offenders”, which sanctions are available, and the practical inspection of ships’ compliance with the regulations.