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Environment key issues:
The threat that introduced marine pests pose to the marine environment has been taken seriously by ASA for well over a decade with considerable time and resources devoted to minimising this risk.
Ships' ballast water is one of the ways marine pests can be introduced into a new environment. The fouling of all vessels (ships and small boats) outside hull and other spaces along with some internal piping is another means of transporting pests.
The International Maritime Organisation (IMO), at a diplomatic
conference in February 2004, adopted an international convention for
ballast water management. See IMO website: www.imo.org for more information
Australia already has had mandatory requirements for international vessels entering Australian waters that wish to discharge ballast water. These requirements are part of the quarantine arrangements for Australia and have been in place since 1 July 2001. See the Australian Quarantine and Inspection Service (AQIS) website: www.aqis.gov.au for more information
In July 2004, Victoria implemented legislation that requires ships to manage ballast water from other Australian ports. See the Environment Protection Authority, Victoria website www.epa.vic.gov.au for more information.
ASA has prepared a position paper on the need for a consistent, national system for ballast water management that avoids individual States/Territory implementing their own set of requirements that would result in duplicative and burdensome arrangements for ships.
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In response to the disastrous oil spill involving 'The Prestige' in 2002, the European Union presented
to MEPC 49 (the 49th session of the Marine Environmental Protection
Committee of the International Maritime Organisation or IMO) a proposal containing the following
proposals:
- Bring forward, to 2005 instead of 2007 as in the original MARPOL Annex 1 provision that requires the phase out of Category 1 tankers.
- Bring forward to 2010 the phase out of Category 1 and 2 tankers
- Immediately ban the use of single hull tankers for the carriage of heavy fuel oil.
The early phase out of category 1 tankers was accepted, however the proposals relating to category 2 and 3 tankers and the ban on the carriage of heavy fuel oil by single hull tankers will be further debated at an additional session of MEPC to be held in December 2003.
Of importance was an additional EU proposal nominating the establishment of a particularly sensitive sea area (PSSA) along a large area of Western European Coast. It was proposed that the PSSA would be subject to extra regulations including a requirement for heavy fuel tankers to report 48 hours before entering the PSSA and a ban on the passage of single hull heavy fuel oil tankers through the area.
This proposal was withdrawn following considerable opposition. The ASA is strongly opposed to unilateral action. Any regulations such as this must be instituted on an international basis.
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Annex VI (air pollution) of the MARPOL, the Convention for the
Prevention of Pollution from Ships will enter into force on the 19 May
2005. By that date it is anticipated that Australia will have ratified
Annex VI through through enactment of domestic legislation. .
Annex VI sets limits on nitrogen oxide (NOx) emissions from ship
exhaust and sulphur content in fuel oil. Annex VI also prohibits the deliberate emission of ozone depleting substances
and the use of ozone depleting substances in new ship installations.
A working group was established at Marine Environment Protection
Committee (MEPC) 49, held during July 2003, to finalise a draft Assembly resolution on IMO Policy and Practice for the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions from ships. This work was completed and the 23rd Assembly adopted the draft resolution
which urges MEPC to continue working on greenhouse gas emissions
through further development of indexing and measurement technology.
The draft guidelines for onboard NOx monitoring, developed at DE 46, were adopted at MEPC 49. A paragraph is to be included in the final Committee report advocating a review of the guidelines taking into account experience gained following the implementation of Annex VI. It is recognised that theoretical values quoted in the NOx Code may prove impractical.
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Ships are painted with anti-fouling paints to protect their hulls from a build-up of marine pests and algae. This makes them faster and more fuel-efficient, which in turn reduces
greenhouse gas emissions.
Most anti-fouling paints work by releasing small amounts of chemicals
that stop marine organisms from settling on the hull surface. Tributyltin (TBT)
is one such chemical that has traditionally had widespread use but was
found to be harmful to the marine environment as it leached into the water
column in ports and marinas. Australia will soon be implementing the
International Convention on the Control of Harmful Anti-fouling
Systems on Ships (the AFS Convention). The AFS Convention was adopted by the International Maritime Organization in 2001 to ban harmful anti-fouling systems globally.
At this stage only the use of TBT as an active ingredient in anti-fouling paints
has been
banned.
Leading up to the ban on TBT, the Government is working with the shipping industry to test long-lasting, less toxic alternatives to TBT-based paints. These new paints will minimise harm to the environment while still effectively protecting the hulls of vessels and preventing the potential spread of marine pests around the coast.
With support from the Commonwealth Government's $2.5 billion Natural Heritage Trust, the Australian Shipowners Association and Environment Australia are jointly managing a project to trial a number of tin-free anti-fouling paints supplied by the Jotun, Hempel, AkzoNobel,
Kansai and Wattyl paint companies on commercial vessels.
For more information on the Paint Patch Trials project
click here
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