How to comply with China ECAs scheme

China Classification Society published a report which summarizes the updated China ECAs Implementation scheme, and focuses on the distinction in emission control requirements among ports of Europe Union, Hong Kong and China.

Currently there are three Emission Control Areas are defined, including Pearl River Delta, Yangtze River Delta, Bohai-rim Waters. On 4 December 2015The Chinese Ministry of Transport (MOT) issued a Marine Emission Control Areas Implementation Scheme for Pearl River Delta, Yangtze River Delta, Bohai-rim Waters, which have entered into force from 1 January 2016.

In order to implement the China ECAs Implementation Scheme, facilitate ships navigating, China MSA issued Notice on Strengthening Supervision and Management on Ship Emission Control Areas of Maritime Safety Administration on Jan. 29 2016 to provide the parties concerned with specific operational requirements for the implementation of the Scheme.

Specifically, according to the Scheme, ships that need a changeover to low sulphur fuel within the Control Areas, information such as start and finish dates, time and marine longitude and latitude of the changeover, sulphur content in fuel, consumption of low sulphur fuel and changeover operators should be recorded in the machinery logbook. Any ship needing the changeover should provide a fuel changeover procedure in written form as part of its safety management system.

The ships should keep the note for three years and the samples until the fuel is used up but at least for one year.

Credit: China Classification Society

Additionally, this report provides the penalties that ships will have in case of non compliance.

Namely, ships which fail to meet the requirements of emission equivalent to the one of low sulphur fuel oil should be, will be subjected to one or more of the followings :

• Warning education,
• Corrective actions,
• Detention

Continuing, the report mentions that NOx emission control in Chinese waters must comply with the requirements stipulated in current MARPOL Annex VI for these international voyage ships, while SOx emission control must follow China ECAs Implementation Scheme.

Concluding, this report emphasizes the fact that the Port Authorities may release the implementation notice ahead of timetable set in Scheme.

So far there are several ports declaring the implementation in advance that ships calling those ports have to use fuel with sulphur content not exceeding 0.5%m/m. CCS is paying close attention to possible information released by Authorities, China Classification Society highlights.

For further details into the report, please click below