Page 18 - INTERCARGO - Annual Report Report 2022 - 2023

INDUSTRY TOPICS INDUSTRY TOPICS
ANNUAL REVIEW
Ballast Water Management For more information on this topic please visit:
intercargo.org/topics/ballast
The International Involving new regulations and the fitting and operation of
equipment that had previously not been used on ships , the
Convention for the Control implementation of the Convention has, unsurprisingly, led to
and Management of a number of challenges.
Ships’ Ballast Water and These especially relate to the performance of ballast water
treatment systems, the operating conditions and locations
Sediments (Ballast Water of vessels, and the global coverage of technical support for
Convention) entered into the systems involved. It is important to note that while ships
are certified for global trade, many of the available systems
force on 8th September, are not certified or able to perform in all locations and con-
2017. ditions that vessels may trade in, and this is particularly true
for the bulk carrier fleet.
INTERCARGO has co-sponsored a number of papers to
IMO on the Convention Review, in particular on challenging
water quality. It is hoped these ongoing discussions at the
IMO will also play a part in solving some of the other ballast
water management issues faced by ship operators.
It is also important that we have an holistic approach to
regulation. Shipping is on a journey to decarbonise, which
in the short term to mid-term will mean finding efficiencies
and, ultimately, using less power. However, regulations such
as the Ballast Water Management Convention effectively re-
quire vessels to use more power and thus produce more
emissions, meaning that one environmental regulation can
potentially have a negative effect on another. The regula-
tors should recognise the consequences of all regulations
and how they may impact each other.
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Piracy For more information on this topic please visit:
intercargo.org/topics/piracy
and Armed Robbery at Sea
Be aware of the sea areas and
ports affected by piracy and
armed robbery. Report all attacks
and suspicious sightings to local
authorities as per IMO circular
MSC.1/Circ.1334 and to relevant
Navy’s reporting centres if
practical.
According to information made available in IMO’s GISIS ing the latest maritime security information from organisa-
module, 131 incidents of piracy and armed robbery against tions supporting the Voluntary Reporting Area (VRA). Best
ships were reported as having occurred or been attempt- Management Practices 5 (BMP5) will continue to provide
ed in 2022. The areas most affected included the Straits the necessary guidance for shipping to ensure that threat
of Malacca and Singapore (72), West Africa (21), and South and risk assessments are developed for every voyage to
America (Pacific) (14), followed by Indian Ocean (9), South mitigate the risks presented by remaining security threats
America (Atlantic) (6), South America (Caribbean) (4), South in the relevant region.
China Sea (4) and Arabian Sea (1).
The shipping industry maintains a Maritime Global Se-
The number of incidents that took place in the Gulf of Guin- curity Website. The site contains guidance and external
ea (West Africa) decreased in 2022 by 17 compared to the links, and the site is navigated using the drop-down menus
same period in 2021, when 38 incidents were reported. specifying the type of risk/issue, or the geography. Interna-
This constitutes a decrease of 45%. However, turning to tional shipping industry associations including INTERCAR-
2023, three very serious hijacking incidents were report- GO have joined forces to continue updating this resource.
ed with 15 crew members being kidnapped in the region. (https://www.maritimeglobalsecurity.org).
The Navy reporting office MDAT-GOG advised mariners
to exercise caution when transiting this area and register
with the MDAT-GOG as early as possible before entering
this region, also updating MDAT-GOG on their position fre-
quently to receive timely advice and alerts.
Reports showed that a total of 59 incidents were reported
in Asia during January-June 2023. No piracy incident was
reported during this period.
The shipping industry will continue to monitor and advise
on maritime security threats to assist the safe transit of ves-
sels and the seafarers who crew them. Pre-voyage threat
and risk assessments should still be carried out consider-
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