Refers to: Ship Owners / Managers/ Operators of all ships over 5.000 GT, PHRS Surveyors / Representatives     

Action Date: Immediate

According to the European Regulation (EU) 2015/757 for Monitoring, Reporting and Verification of Carbon Dioxide emissions for Shipping (EU-MRV), every ship equal to or greater than 5000 GT which has a commercial operation and calls to a European port, is obliged to monitor and report to the EU commission and to the ship’ Flag Administration a series of relevant data on to its CO2 emissions.
 

The annual emissions report for the reporting period 2022 must be submitted to a verifier for verification. The verified EU-MRV emissions reports of the applicable ships are then uploaded to the THETIS-MRV system operated by the European Maritime Safety Agency (EMSA).
 

Similarly, ship-owners and operators should submit their fuel oil consumption data to a Recognized Organisation nominated by the flag (PHRS), as specified in MARPOL Annex VI, in accordance to the approved Ship Energy Efficiency Management Plan (SEEMP) Part II [IMO DCS (Data Collection System)] for verification. The verified IMO-DCS emission reports of the applicable ships are then uploaded to IMO GISIS system.
 

For both requirements, the reported data should be supplemented by the appropriate supporting documentation to enable the smooth/prompt verification work.

 
It is strongly recommended that both IMO DCS & EU MRV submissions to be made as soon as possible (till end of March 2023) to provide sufficient time for their review and corrections, if any.
 

On 1 June 2023, all applicable vessels are required to have on board a “Statement of Compliance”, issued by the respective verifier/recognized organization that verified the data.

 
For more information about both regulations, please do not hesitate to contact technical@phrs.gr.

January 12^th, 2023 - PHRS Head Office

We would like to inform you that our Organization will remain closed on Monday the 12th of December due to St. Spyridon celebrations.

We will resume normal operations on Tuesday the 13th of December.

For any urgent matter that might occur, you can always contact our office through the usual telephone numbers and e-mails, as our correspondence is regularly being monitored from our emergency staff.

December 8th, 2022 - PHRS Head Office

Refers to: Ship Owners / Managers / Operators of CI flagged vessels, PHRS Surveyors / Representatives     

Action Date: 1^st Nov 2022

On 1st November 2022 the amendments related to Unmanned Non-Self-Propelled (UNSP) barges that have been introduced by Resolutions MEPC 330(76) and MEPC 328(76) entered into force.

The amendments allow for UNSP barges to be exempted from certain survey and certification requirements in MARPOL Annex I, Annex IV and Annex VI, respectively.

The guidelines for the exemption of UNSP barges are detailed in MEPC.1/Circ.892, attached to this Circular.

Actions for ship owners and managers

Owners and managers of UNSP barges wishing to apply for exemptions from survey and certification requirements are required to get in touch with the certifying authority as follows:

UNSP barges with certification issued directly by Maritime Cook Islands (MCI):

• Owners/managers to get in touch with MCI;

• MCI will review the drawings as per MEPC.1/Circ.892;

• Upon satisfactory review of the drawings, an MCI-appointed surveyor will carry out the relevant survey as per MEPC.1/Circ.892;

• Based on the satisfactory result of the survey, MCI will issue the exemption certificate valid for a period not exceeding five years.

UNSP barges with certification issued by an approved RO on behalf of MCI:

• Owners/managers to get in touch with the relevant RO;

• The RO will review the necessary drawings as per MEPC.1/Circ.892;

• Upon satisfactory review of the drawings, the RO will carry out the relevant survey as per MEPC.1/Circ.892;

• Upon satisfactory results of the survey, the RO will notify MCI accordingly and MCI will issue the exemption certificate valid for a period not exceeding five years.

Maintenance of conditions

The exemption certificate ceases to be valid in case any of the approved exemption conditions (defined in MARPOL Annex I Reg.1.40, MARPOL Annex IV Reg. 1.16, and MARPOL Annex VI Reg. 2.1.32) are not met any longer after the survey.

Owners/managers are required to notify MCI in case any of the approved exemption conditions are not met, or any conversion or alteration has occurred affecting the conditions under which the exemption certificate(s) is(are) issued.

The Circular 278/2022 can be found here, in full detail.

Do not hesitate to contact us for more information you may need on the above.

November 18^th, 2022 - PHRS Head Office

Refers to: Owners / Managers / Operators of Panamanian flagged vessels, PHRS Surveyors / Representatives     

Action Date: Immediate

Kindly find here the latest Merchant Marine Notices and Circulars of November 2022 issued by the Panama Maritime Authority.

Website:

https://panamashipregistry.com/circulars/(Circulars)

https://panamashipregistry.com/marine-category/marine-notices/(Notices)

https://panamashipregistry.com/circulars-e-book/ (E-book)

Do not hesitate to contact us for more information you may need on the above.

December 2^nd, 2022 - PHRS Head Office

Refers to: Ship Owners / Managers / Operators of CI flagged vessels, PHRS Surveyors / Representatives     

Action Date: 1^st Jan 2023

On the 1st January 2023 amendments to the Anti-Fouling Systems (AFS) Convention, adopted through Resolution MEPC.331(76) will enter into force. The amendments introduce new requirements that ban the future installation of anti-fouling systems which contain a toxic substance called cybutryne (CAS No. 28159-98-0).

Ships shall not apply or re-apply anti-fouling systems containing cybutryne on or after 1^st January 2023.

Ships bearing an anti-fouling system that contains cybutryne in the external coating layer of their hulls or external parts or surfaces on the 1st January 2023 shall either:

1. Remove the anti-fouling system; or

2. Apply a coating that forms a barrier to this substance leaching from the underlying non-compliant anti-fouling system.

The measures listed above must be put in place at the next scheduled renewal of the antifouling system after 1st January 2023, but no later than 60 months following the last application to the ship of an anti-fouling system containing cybutryne.

Existing coatings on the following ships are excepted from the requirements:

1. Fixed and floating platforms, Floating Storage Units, and Floating Production Storage and Offloading installations that have been constructed prior to 1st January 2023 and that have not been in dry-dock on or after 1st January 2023;

2. Ships not engaged in international voyages; and

3. Ships of less than 400 gross tonnage engaged in international voyages, if accepted by the coastal State(s).

Actions for ship owners and managers

Owners and managers of vessels with anti-fouling systems containing cybutryne are urged to get in touch with Maritime Cook Islands at technical@maritimecookislands.com, in order to arrange for an AFS survey and the issuance of a new revised AFS certificate.

The Circular 270/2022 can be found here.

Do not hesitate to contact us for more information you may need on the above.

October 19^th, 2022 - PHRS Head Office

Refers to: Owners/Managers/Operators, PhRS Surveyors/ Representatives

Action Date: Immediate

Over the last years, a great number of environmental and climate performance assessment standards have emerged for ships under the global environmental crisis. Sustainable and ecological development has become an inevitable trend in the shipping and shipbuilding industries, involving classification societies.

PhRS, focusing on clean and sustainable classification, safety, environmental protection, and increased social responsibility, has proceeded to eco-friendly adaptations, including paper-free daily operations, digital certificates, and online applications.

The highlight of this is the establishment of the Marine Environmental Sustainability (MES) Department, aiming at bringing the ships in compliance with:

• MARPOL Convention regulations, preventing and minimizing, both accidental and operational, pollution from ships.

The focus of attention constitutes the decarbonization of shipping as it is one of the most critical challenges for the maritime industry. The amendments to MARPOL Annex VI propose short-term measures to reduce carbon intensity into two categories: operational and technical.

The new measures will require all ships to calculate their Energy Efficiency Existing Ship Index (EEXI) and establish their annual operational carbon intensity indicator (CII). Ships will be required to address both areas starting in 2023 to help meet IMO’s minimum 2030 carbon intensity goal.

MES department is authorized to verify that your vessels comply with MARPOL. Our involvement ranges from plan approval to on-board surveys to maintain compliance.

• Data Collection System (DCS) on the reporting of fuel oil consumption of ships, and the EU MRV regulation (EU) 2015/757 on the monitoring, reporting, and verifying carbon dioxide emissions.

Scope of below services intend to:

• Reduce emissions from shipping, designed to gather data on CO2 emissions based on ships’ fuel consumption regarding MRV regulation.
• Collect consumption data for each type of fuel oil used and additional, specified data, including proxies for transport work, as regards DCS regulation.

Upon data submission to PhRS, the MES department carries out the necessary checks and verification procedures and issues the respective certificates to keep on-board.

• BWM Convention, regulating ballast water discharge and reducing the risk of transferring invasive aquatic species into the sea.

All ships subject to BWM Convention must implement the D-2 regulation by installing Ballast Water Treatment Systems (BWTS).

Verifying the BWM Convention's implementation and approving the relevant plans constitute another primary responsibility of the MES department.

• Hong Kong Convention (HKC) and EU Ship Recycling Regulation (EU SRR) regarding the safe and environmentally sound recycling of ships, reducing accidents, injuries, and other adverse effects on human health and the environment caused by ship recycling.

The EU Ship Recycling Regulation requires vessels to hold a valid and certified Inventory Hazardous Materials (IHM) on board.

MES department performs the necessary checks and verification procedures on the Hazardous Materials Inventory reports, and finally, a PhRS surveyor undertakes on-board verification and certification of the commitment to safe and environmentally sound practices for the vessel’s life.

For information/inquiries, feel free to reach us at mes@phrs.gr / technical@phrs.gr.

June 24^th, 2022 - PHRS Head Office