Exhibition and Conference "Embracing Sustainability & Innovation in Shipping" - 22-23 November 2023
PHRS invites you to visit stand B17 at the Exhibition and Conference "Embracing Sustainability & Innovation in Shipping" in the Stone Warehouse of the Piraeus Port Authority on 22-23 November 2023, organized by WIMA.
We will be glad to welcome you!
NL 284/23 | MRV Regulation Changes: Time for Action!
Refers to: Owners and Operators of vessels greater than 5000GT, general cargo ships between 400 and 5000 gross tonnage and offshore ships of 400 gross tonnage and above, engaged in commercial voyages in/out or between EU ports
Action Date: January 1st, 2024
In 2015, the European Union made significant progress in reducing greenhouse gas emissions from the maritime transport industry by implementing Regulation (EU) No 2015/757, known as the MRV Regulation. This regulation set out guidelines for large shipping companies to provide annual reports on carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions and relevant details. Independent verifiers accredited by the EU would then confirm the accuracy of these reports for ships exceeding 5000 gross tonnage (GT) calling at ports within the European Economic Area (EEA).
In 2023, the MRV Regulation underwent amendments as part of a broader strategy to curtail emissions from the maritime sector. Its objective is to encompass maritime transport operations within the EU Emissions Trading System. It also stipulates the monitoring, reporting and verification of emissions of additional greenhouse gases and emissions from additional ship types.
Until January 1, 2024, the MRV Regulation exclusively monitored CO2 emissions from sizable ships both underway and at berth, considering various related factors like energy efficiency, distance travelled, time at sea, and cargo carried.
CO2 emissions stand as the primary element of greenhouse gas emissions from maritime transport, although methane (CH4) and nitrous oxide (N2O) also contribute significantly. After January 1, 2024, the MRV Regulation’s scope broadened to encompass methane and nitrous oxide emissions from shipping.
Furthermore, starting January 1, 2025, general cargo ships between 400 and 5000 gross tonnage and offshore ships of 400 gross tonnage and above were included within the amended MRV Regulation's jurisdiction.
Shipping company obligations after 1 January 2024 under the amended MRV Regulation
Under the updated MRV Regulation, shipping companies are now obliged to modify their ships' monitoring plans in compliance with the amended regulation starting January 1, 2024. These revised plans need evaluation by independent accredited verifiers.
If deemed compliant, companies must submit these revised plans via THETIS-MRV by April 1, 2024, for approval by the relevant administering authority.
For ships visiting an EEA port for the first time after January 1, 2024, the company should submit their monitoring plans within three months of the initial call.
From January 1, 2024, shipping companies must monitor and report methane (CH4) and nitrous oxide (N2O) emissions, in addition to CO2 emissions.
Each shipping company will be associated with the administering authority of a Member State. The European Commission will publish a list assigning each company to an administering authority of a Member State, following guidelines from the EU ETS Directive, by February 1, 2024, and every two years thereafter.
Beginning in 2025, by March 31 of each year, companies must submit an emissions report for each ship they oversee, covering the previous year's reporting period. These reports must be verified and submitted through THETIS-MRV to the relevant administering authority, the ship's flag State authorities (if it's an EEA country), and the European Commission.
From 2025, by March 31 of each year, for ships falling under the ETS Directive's scope, shipping companies must additionally submit an emissions report at the company level, consolidating data verified by a verifier in accordance with Regulation (EU) 2015/757. This report should contain aggregated emissions data for all ships under the company's responsibility, categorized by individual greenhouse gas and expressed in tonnes of CO2 equivalent.
Obtain the revised MRV Regulation:
For any further information you are free to contact PHRS Head Office or any other PHRS office near you.
November 2nd 2023 - PHRS Head Office
Refers to: Ship Owners / Managers/ Operators, PHRS Surveyors / Representatives
Action Date: Immediate
Member Authorities of the Tokyo and the Paris Memoranda of Understanding (MoU) on Port State Control has announced the forthcoming joint Concentrated Inspection Campaign (CIC) on Fire Safety.
This inspection campaign will be held for three months, commencing from 1 September 2023 and ending 30 November 2023. The campaign will examine specific areas related to fire safety in conjunction with the regular Port State Control inspection.
Since Fire Safety was the category with the highest detainable ratio for 2022, any ship with deficiencies under this category may be considered for detention. Thus, during this period, PHRS will undertake similar examinations on all surveys/audits to be held onboard of PHRS certified ships. Attached you can find the relevant Checklist of CIC on Fire Safety.
Furthermore, ship-owners and operators are urged to take all necessary actions to be prepared for the forthcoming PSC CIC.
The press release of Paris MoU can be found here in full detail.
August 10th 2023 - PHRS Head Office
Holiday Notice
We would like to inform you that our Organization will remain closed on Tuesday the 15th of August due to Public Holiday.
We will resume normal operations on Wednesday the 16th of August.
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.
August 11th, 2023 - PHRS Head Office
Holiday Notice
We would like to inform you that our Organization will remain closed on Monday the 27th of February due to public holiday.
We will resume our normal operations on Tuesday the 28th of February.
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.
February 23rd, 2023 - PHRS Head Office
Refers to: Ship-owners/Operators, DPAs and Legal Representatives of Panama Flagged Vessels trading to Paris MoU ports
Action Date: Immediate
PMA has issued Merchant Marine Circular MMC-398with additional assessment requirements aiming to decrease the detention numbers of vessels calling in PARIS MOU ports that may be subject to Port State Control (PSC) inspections.
In the frames of the Administration’ efforts to decrease the PSC detention numbers of vessels calling in PARIS MOU ports that may be subject to Port State Control (PSC) inspections thus aiming to improve the performance of Panama flagged vessels and avoid PSC detentions, the Administration imposes the mandatory implementation of the Pre-arrival checklist for Panama flagged vessels. This checklist has drawn up to assist Ship-Owners, operators, technical managers, Designated Persons Ashore (DPA) and vessel Master´s to find weak items that can results as a ground for detention through Port State Control Inspections by Paris MoU.
The checklist must be sent ninety-six hours (96hrs) prior vessel’s arrival to Paris MoU ports, to the following email address: psc@amp.gob.pa. For voyages that last less than 96 hours (96hrs), the checklist must be sent at least twenty-four hours (24hrs) before arrival at port.
The use of this checklist is compulsory for all the Panamanian vessels prior to calling Paris MoU, and shall be signed by the vessel Masters and/or company Designated Persons Ashore (DPA). The omission of this requirement may lead to administrative sanctions for to the vessel’s Master, and/or Chief Engineer and/or to the vessel’s company as well.
If extraordinary issues arise, such as equipment failures or any others situations that cannot be resolved on board of the vessel immediately; Ship-Owners, operators, technical managers, DPA or vessel´s Master, shall immediately coordinate the effective corrective actions, together with PHRS and Segumar Offices.
Do not hesitate to contact us for more information you may need on the above.
July 21st, 2023 - PHRS Head Office
NL 280/23 | IMO DCS/EU MRV - Deadline for Submission of Fuel Oil Annual Consumption / Emissions Data
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 12th, 2023 - PHRS Head Office
Holiday Notice
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
NL 278/22 | MCI - Exemption of Unmanned Non-Self-Propelled (UNSP) barges from survey and certification requirements
Refers to: Ship Owners / Managers / Operators of CI flagged vessels, PHRS Surveyors / Representatives
Action Date: 1st 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 18th, 2022 - PHRS Head Office