regulations

FMC launches probe of Canadian ballast water regs

Pending Canadian ballast water management regulations have been slammed as “the epitome of an unfair business practice,” by the U.S. based Lake Carriers Association (LCA), which filed a petition asking the Federal Maritime Commission (FMC) to investigate the issue back in March 2020.

The FMC responded and today launched an investigation to determine if pending Canadian regulations governing ballast water management systems of ships in the U.S.-Canada Great Lakes trade have a disparate effect on...

https://www.marinelog.com/legal/regulations/fmc-launches-probe-of-canadian-ballast-water-regs/

EC’s Union Database plan could limit biofuel availability to ships

The European Union is setting up a Union Database (UDB) of biofuels. The database aims to ensure the traceability of liquid and gaseous biofuels that are eligible for being counted towards the share of renewable energy in the transportation sector in any EU member state. One aspect of the European Commission’s plans for the UDB is causing “deep concerns” to both the Methanol Institute (MI) and SEA-LNG, key representatives of the methanol and liquefied natural gas (LNG) industries respectively,,

T...

https://www.marinelog.com/legal/environment/ecs-union-database-plan-could-limit-biofuel-availability-to-ships/

Denmark will ban scrubber water discharges

The Danish Ministry of the Environment said today that, from July 1, 2025, the discharge of exhaust gas scrubber water from ships will be prohibited in waters up to 22 kilometers (about 12 nautical miles) off the Danish coast. The ban has widespread Danish parliamentary support from across the political spectrum and will be implemented in an amendment to current legislation set to be enacted in the coming parliamentary year.

The ministry notes that currently ships can use open loop scrubbers to...

https://www.marinelog.com/legal/environment/denmark-will-ban-scrubber-water-discharges/

Support grows for USTR to slap U.S. port fees on Chinese-built ships

U.S. Senators Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.) and Bob Casey (D-Pa.) are seeing growing support for their push for the Biden Administration to initiate an investigation into the People’s Republic of China’s (PRC) unfair trade practices in commercial shipbuilding. Senators Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio), John Fetterman (D-Pa.), Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), and Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii) have now joined Baldwin and Casey’s push in support of the United Steelworkers (USW) petition under Section 301 of the Trade Act of...

https://www.marinelog.com/legal/legislation/support-grows-for-ustr-to-slap-u-s-port-fees-on-chinese-built-ships/

MEPC 81: A global carbon tax on shipping is getting closer

As IMO’s MEPC 81 was going on in London last week, ABS Chairman and CEO Christopher J. Wiernicki was telling a session of the CERAWeek energy conference in Houston that a universal, global carbon tax on shipping is coming, as alternative blue fuels made with carbon capture emerge as a critical step in the energy transition at sea.

“We need to recognize that there is an intermediate step in the energy transition,” he said. “Last year the conversations were focused on going from oil to a green...

https://www.marinelog.com/legal/environment/mepc-81-a-global-carbon-tax-on-shipping-is-getting-closer/

Bearing brings maritime AI to bear on EU ETS compliance

Palo Alto, Calif., headquartered maritime AI (artificial intelligence) solutions provider Bearing AI has launched an update to its Fleet Deployment Optimizer (FDO) solution that is designed to help shipping companies manage their emissions in compliance with the new European Union Emissions Trading System (EU ETS) regulations.

With the introduction of this regulation, all ships calling at ports in the European Economic Area are accountable for their carbon emissions via EU Allowances (EUAs) — a...

https://www.marinelog.com/legal/regulations/bearing-brings-maritime-ai-to-bear-on-eu-ets-compliance/

Coast Guard launches new format merchant mariner credential

The U.S. Coast Guard will launch a new merchant mariner credential (MMC) on March 1, 2024. The agency is replacing the MMC passport-style booklet (“Red Book”) with a new, certificate size, one page credential. The new credential will be issued to all mariners after the implementation date.

This is the first comprehensive revision of the merchant mariner credential since 2015 and the Coast Guard says that it is strategically designed to enhance both the quality of service and security within the...

https://www.marinelog.com/legal/safety-and-security/coast-guard-launches-new-format-merchant-mariner-credential/

Biden administration pauses new LNG export project permitting

Citing climate crisis concerns, the Biden Administration today announced a temporary pause on pending approvals of liquefied natural gas (LNG) export projects.

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) says that it will initiate a process to update the assessments used to inform whether additional liquefied natural gas (LNG) export authorization requests to non-Free Trade Agreement countries are in the public interest.

“The United States is the global leader in LNG exports with 14 billion cubic feet...

https://www.marinelog.com/news/biden-administration-pauses-new-lng-export-project-permitting/

USCG moves ahead on plans for Atlantic Coast shipping fairways

The U.S. Coast Guard has released a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) proposing a system of shipping safety fairways along the U.S. Atlantic Coast. The NPRM comes as plans for Atlantic Coast offshore wind farms become increasingly ambitious — and as more large Post-Panamax ships call U.S. East Coast ports.

The proposed fairways were identified in a now-completed Atlantic Coast Port Access Route Study.

“Fairways would preserve the safe and reliable transit of vessels along well-established...

https://www.marinelog.com/legal/regulations/uscg-moves-ahead-on-plans-for-atlantic-coast-shipping-fairways/

Stinne Taiger Ivø named BIMCO deputy secretary general

The world’s largest shipping association, Copenhagen-headquartered BIMCO, has appointed its director of contracts & support, Stinne Taiger Ivø, as deputy secretary general, effective January 1, 2024. She succeeds Søren Larsen, who will be retiring in May after 39 years of service.

Ivø joined BIMCO in early 2022 to lead the contracts & support department. The contracts & clauses team develops and provides the shipping industry with contracts and clauses in close collaboration with industry...

https://www.marinelog.com/legal/shipping/stinne-taiger-ivo-named-bimco-deputy-secretary-general/

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