Queen Elizabeth's

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Key International Marine Environment Protection Convention Celebrates 40 Years Of Progress

The use of the world’s oceans as a dumping ground for harmful wastes has been systematically regulated and reduced under the terms of an international convention that, this year, celebrates 40 years since it was first adopted.

The “Convention on the Prevention of Marine Pollution by Dumping of Wastes and Other Matter, 1972″, usually referred to as the “London Convention”, was one of the first global conventions designed to protect the marine environment from human activities. It has been in force since 1975.

IMO

The contracting Parties to the 1972 London Convention (and its 1996 Protocol) will meet at the London headquarters of the International Maritime Organization (IMO), from 29 October to 2 November 2012. During this meeting they will celebrate the 40th anniversary of the adoption of the Convention, which took place on 13 November 1972.

The objective of the London Convention is to promote the effective control of all sources of marine pollution and to take all practicable steps to prevent pollution of the sea by dumping of wastes and other matter. Currently, 87 States are Parties to it.

In 1996, the “London Protocol” was agreed, to further modernize the Convention and, eventually, to replace it. Under the Protocol, all dumping is prohibited, except for possibly acceptable wastes on the so-called “reverse list”. This includes dredged material, sewage sludge, fish wastes, inert, inorganic geological material (e.g. mining wastes), organic material of natural origin, and carbon dioxide streams from carbon dioxide capture processes for sequestration. The London Protocol entered into force on 24 March 2006 and currently has 42 States Parties.

The 40 years since the London Convention was adopted have left a strong legacy of tangible successes from which both the marine environment and mankind have benefited. The unregulated dumping and incineration activities that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s have been halted.

Amendments that were adopted in 1993 and entered into force a year later brought in a total ban on the dumping into the sea of low-level radioactive wastes.  In addition, within two years of their adoption, by 31 December 1995, they phased out the dumping of industrial wastes and banned the incineration at sea of industrial waste and sewage sludge.

Parties to the Convention agreed to control dumping by implementing regulatory programmes to assess the need for, and the potential impact of, dumping. They eliminated dumping of certain types of waste and, gradually, made this regime more restrictive by promoting sound waste management and pollution prevention. Prohibitions are in force for dumping of industrial and radioactive wastes, as well as for incineration at sea of industrial waste and sewage sludge. And as mentioned earlier, under the Protocol all dumping is now prohibited, except for the so called “reverse list”.

A comprehensive series of guidelines on dumping have been developed under the auspices of the Convention and Protocol, notably:

• Generic guidelines and comprehensive specific guidelines for all wastes on the reverse list

• Guidance on implementation of the London Protocol at the national level
• Guidelines for the sampling and analysis of dredged material intended for disposal at sea (to assist Parties with limited capacity or resources, advice on the application of low-technology techniques for assessing dredged material has also been developed)
• Guidelines for the application of the ‘de minimis’ concept, to assist in making judgements on whether materials for dumping could be exempt from radiological controls or whether a specific radiological assessment is needed
• Guidance for the development of Action Lists and Action Levels for Dredged Material, to assist regulators and policy makers in relation to dredged material proposed for disposal at sea.

In addition, formal advice has been developed concerning the management of spoilt cargoes aboard vessels; best management practices for removal of anti-fouling coatings from ships and the placement of artificial reefs, and a technical co-operation and assistance programme has been established to assist with capacity building for waste assessment and management, and in developing national regulations to comply with, and implement, the London Protocol.

Contracting Parties to the LP have recently taken ground-breaking steps to mitigate the impacts of increasing concentrations of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere by amending the LP to regulate carbon capture and sequestration in sub-sea geological formations.  In 2006, the LP Contracting Parties adopted amendments to Annex I of the Protocol to regulate carbon capture and sequestration in sub-seabed geological formations. In 2009, the LP was further amended to address the issue of export of waste for dumping purposes.

Since 2007, the Contracting Parties have taken steps to develop a global, transparent and effective control and regulatory mechanism for ocean fertilization and other activities that fall within the scope of the LC and LP and that may cause harm to the environment, including marine geo-engineering activities. In 2010, an assessment framework for scientific research involving ocean fertilization was adopted.

A Risk Assessment and Management Framework was developed to ensure compatibility with Annex 2 to the LP, identify relevant gaps in knowledge, and reach a view on the implications of this storage activity for the marine environment.

All in all, the Contracting Parties to the London Convention and Protocol have developed a wealth of experience regarding marine pollution prevention issues, interpretation of the Convention and Protocol, licensing, compliance and field monitoring activities.

When they meet at IMO from 29 October to 2 November 2012, the agenda will include, among other items:

• Further development of regulatory controls on ocean fertilization and other similar activities and the guidelines for CO2 sequestration to include transboundary issues

• A review of compliance issues under the London Protocol

• A review of the status report and planning for technical co-operation activities

• A review of the joint MEPC-LC/LP guidance on management of spoilt cargoes

• A discussion on matters related to the management of radioactive waste

• The finalization of the publication “The London Protocol: What it is and how to implement it”, and

• A review of the Joint Long-term Programme for the period 2013 to 2015.

Forty years after its adoption, the London Convention and its Protocol are still providing a relevant and important framework within which the international community is tackling key issues surrounding the protection of the marine environment.

Royal Caribbean Likely to Order Third Oasis-Class Ship

Royal Caribbean (RCL) hopes to order a new Oasis-type ship–at 5,400 berths, they're the biggest cruise vessels in the world–by year’s end.

The company’s first Oasis-class ship had a contract price of about $1B back in 2006, but RCL says a new ship should cost less/berth and it doesn’t expect to accept delivery until 2016, giving the company years to build up money.

“The Oasis of the Seas and Allure of the Seas have proven themselves to be exceptionally attractive ships by generating the highest guest satisfaction ratings in the fleet coupled with very compelling financial returns,” said Royal Caribbean chairman, Richard Fain. “Ordering another such ship for delivery in 2016, at a lower cost, with better energy efficiency is very consistent with our balanced goals of prudent growth, return improvement and debt reduction.”

RCL and other cruise lines cooled capacity growth amid the financial crisis, delighting investors with less-encumbered cash flow. RCL’s plans follows rival Norwegian Cruise’sorder of 4,200-berth ship earlier this month, hinting the industry may be coming out of a capacity slumber.

Alang, Gujarat: The World’s Biggest Ship Breaking Yard & A Dangerous Environmental Time Bomb

Alang in Gujarat is the world’s biggest ship breaking yard with hundreds of ships getting scrapped each year. With increase in the yard’s popularity around the world, there has also been a steep increase in the number of threats posed by the ship breaking yard to the marine environment and laborers working there.

Unlike other countries, India possesses very loose marine environmental protection policies, which have lead to irreversible harm to the surrounding flora and fauna. Several beautiful coral reefs near to the Indian coasts have been completely destroyed and the marine life the affected area has gone haywire.

Moreover, Alang has now become an official storage facility for toxic wastes, radioactive elements, poisonous gases, and waste, unusable oil. These toxic have not only entered into the marine food chain by contaminating the oceans but have greatly affected the health of workers, who already live in dilapidated condition with least safety measures and poor health care facilities.

We bring to you an exclusive video of the Alang Shipyard, made and presented by NDTV, India.

Japan: ClassNK Certifies World’s First Specially Built Nickel Ore Carrier

The world’s largest classification society ClassNK, announced that the world’s first specialized vessel for the carriage of Nickel Ore has been built and registered to the NK class.

The vessel, the Jules Garnier II, was built by Naikai Zosen Corporation and delivered to Japanese shipping major JX Shipping Co. Ltd on 19 September 2012, and is the first vessel in the world to be recognized as a Specially Constructed Cargo Ship for the carriage of Nickel Ore in accordance with the IMO’s IMSBC Code. The announcement followed a monthly meeting of the Society’s Classification Committee, which reviewed and officially certified the vessel’s registration on 22 October 2012.

Nickel Ore cargoes can liquefy during transport, drastically impairing the ship’s stability and safety, and these cargoes have been cited as the cause of four vessel casualties and the loss of 66 seafarers in 2010-11. INTERCARGO has since named Nickel Ore “the world’s most dangerous cargo” and efforts are underway at the IMO to strengthen the International Maritime Solid Bulk Code (IMSBC), which regulates the loading and transport of bulk cargoes such as Nickel Ore.

The ISMBC code currently requires that the moisture content (MC) of cargoes that may liquefy be tested prior to their loading onboard ships, and forbids non-specialized vessels from loading cargoes with an MC greater than the specified Transportable Moisture Limit (TML). However, questions have been raised about the testing procedures and validity of moisture content test results for Nickel Ore, and there is growing concern about whether nickel ore can safely be carried by standard vessels. While the ISMBC code allows for these dangerous cargoes to be carried by “Specially Constructed Cargo Ships”, no definition or requirements for such vessels are included in the code itself.

In order to address this issue and ensure the safety of the world’s bulk carrier fleet, ClassNK began carrying out independent research on the physical characteristics of Nickle Ore in 2009. Based on this research, ClassNK developed the world’s first hull structure and stability requirements for building such “Specially Constructed Cargo Vessels” in 2011, and released them for use by the maritime industry as part of its Guidelines for the Safe Carriage of Nickel Ore in March 2012. These requirements have since been approved by the government of Panama and Japan for use in vessels flagged with their administrations. They have further earned the recognition of INTERCARGO as well as the wider maritime industry, and ClassNK was presented with the “Safety Award” at the Lloyd’s List Global Awards in September 2012 for its contribution to the safe transportation of Nickel Ore.

The 27,200 dwt Jules Garnier II is the first vessel in the world to apply ClassNK’s new requirements in its construction and makes use longitudinal bulkheads in in its cargo holds to ensure stability and structural strength even when liquefied nickel ore cargoes are loaded. The ship’s design earned the approval of the Panamanian government in September 2012, and with its completion in September 2012, is the first and currently only vessel to be certified as safe to carry liquefied Nickel Ore cargoes in line with the IMSBC code. The vessel is also the first to earn ClassNK’s new SCCS notation for safe carriage of nickel ore in recognition of its special construction.

Commenting on construction and registration of the vessel, ClassNK Operating Officer and Hull Department General Manager Mitsuhiko Kidogawa said:“With the completion of this vessel and the successful implementation of these new standards, we have realized an important step in our efforts to ensure the safety of vessels and their crews.”

“While this is an important achievement, we are continuing our research on nickel ore and other cargoes that can liquefy during transport, and we hope that we can develop methods for existing vessels to safely transport these dangerous cargoes, as well.”

BaltShip AS Transports the World’s Longest Wind Turbine Blade from Denmark

Thursday 18 October, the BaltShip started the transport of the world’s longest wind turbine blade from SSP Technology in Kirkeby, Denmark.

With a length of 83.5 meters and a rotor diameter of 171.2 meters, the blade is by far the largest produced to date. Passing the blade by car at the speed of 50 km/h would take 6 seconds.

Many people watched the gigantic and unique blade depart from the factory, whereupon it went on a 170 kilometer long journey by truck to Esbjerg. From Esbjerg, the blade was shipped 122 NM to Bremerhaven in Germany, where the test facilities are located.

The blade was ordered by Samsung Heavy Industries and the transport was handled by the BaltShip Industry department. Delivery took place – on time – less than 92 hours after departure.

UK: Rolls-Royce Creates Dedicated Team Focused on Naval Ship Design

Rolls-Royce has been at the forefront of innovative ship design for nearly 40 years, designing over 800 vessels, used mainly in the commercial sector.

This new team will develop vessels for customers such as navies, coast guards and other maritime agencies. The new designs, which include variants of the award winning Environship merchant ship concept, will leverage innovative and cost effective technologies from commercial Rolls-Royce ship designs and products, adapted and integrated for the specific requirements of naval operations.

Garry Mills, Rolls-Royce, Chief of Naval Ship Design, said: “There has been a growing trend for commercial marine technology to cross over into the naval market, delivering cost reduction and proven capability. Governmental customers are looking for cost effective and innovative ships and with Rolls-Royce already hugely experienced in ship design, coupled to the world’s largest marine product portfolio, we can offer integrated ‘whole ship’ solutions suited to the demanding roles of the world’s navies.

“Naval vessels typically involve the integration of many disparate and complex technologies, into what tend to be unique ships. We have some exciting designs under development, bringing together world leading capability in propulsion, control systems and deck machinery into advanced hull forms.”

One of the Rolls-Royce designs includes a replenishment ship for refueling and supplying naval fleets and is available in the 9,000 to 25,000 deadweight tonne range. The design is based on the Rolls-Royce Environship concept, featuring a wave piercing bow and hybrid electric propulsion system which increases operation efficiency while reducing fuel consumption.

The design team will focus on offshore patrol vessels (OPVs), survey ships and support vessels, rather than combatant ships such as frigates and destroyers.