Inchcape Shipping Services (ISS), the world’s leading maritime services provider, announced the launch of an intermediary service for ships calling at ports in China. The move is in response to new pollution prevention and control regulations introduced by Chinese regulators and the service is already fully operational.
The Prevention and Control of Marine Pollution from Ships directive, issued by China’s Maritime Safety Agency (MSA) requires full compliance from shipowners and managers by 1 March 2012. From this date, all ships carrying polluting or hazardous cargoes, or those over 10,000gt, have to enter into a contract with an approved Ship Pollution Response Organisation (SPRO) before entering port. From 1 January, these regulations have already been implemented in all major coastal sea ports except Ningbo and Zhoushan where they are likely to be applied following Chinese New Year which falls on 23 January.
The new ISS service eliminates the need for shipowners to manage contracts and multiple transactions with SPROs at their various ports of call in China. Instead, based on the MSA’s list of approved vendors, ISS will manage the entire process, often in tandem with its other agency and crew logistics services, ensuring maximum efficiencies within their customers’ operations.
The intermediary service is available on a per call basis, and for fleet operators calling regularly in China, ISS is also launching an annual scheme. This will reduce the risk of a ship being unable to enter port because it does not have the correct paperwork, and it will eliminate the administrative burden on the fleet manager.
David Young, General Manager of ISS China Central Office in Shanghai, said: “We continue to innovate our ship husbandry services, including simplifying the practicalities of complying with new regulations in different territories.
“Fleet operators told us they were concerned about the administrative burden being placed upon them by the new Chinese regulations, and the risk of severe delays to their vessels should they not be in compliance. Based on in-depth knowledge of the ports in which it operates, ISS has, at a stroke, removed all of those concerns.”
ISS China has offices in the ports of Dalian, Tianjin Xingang, Qingdao, Shanghai (China central office), Guangzhou Huangpu and Nansha.
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