Annex V amendments impact hold cleaning

The global provider of products and services to the shipping industry is urging firms to heed details included in the revised MARPOL Annex V Resolution MEPC.201(62), relating to the International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships, which came into force on 1 January.

A key element is the ‘garbage regulation’, stipulating that discharge of waste into the sea is prohibited, unless specifically allowed, and that every discharge must be noted in a vessel’s garbage record book. As part of this, cleaning agents, additives and residue contained in cargo holds should not be discharged to sea, unless it can be proven these substances are classified as not harmful to the marine environment (HME).

“Shipowners must ensure compliance, and must have access to the necessary products and knowledge to do so,” commented Jan Fredrik Bjorge, product marketing manager cleaning solutions WSS.

“Operators need to be aware of how the combination of their cargoes and the products used to clean cargo holds impacts upon their ability to be discharged to sea. Cargo residues and the products used to clean cargo holds must be declared as HME, otherwise the wash water has to be discharged at a port reception facility.”

The regulation states that the burden of proof that cleaning agents and additives are not HME lies with the vessel, and that they are under obligation to provide evidence to port state control authorities upon inspection.

“For some owners this can appear both complicated and worrying,” Bjorge noted, “but it doesn’t have to be. A discussion with a cargo hold cleaning specialist can set their minds at rest and ensure they have the procedures and products in place to guarantee compliance.”

Providers of cleaning products and equipment can also play a role in aiding compliance. WSS supplies safety data sheets with its hold cleaning range, detailing the composition and compliant nature of its products, while also providing stand-alone customer letters listing all relevant cleaning chemicals classified as not HME.

For cargoes that are classified HME, WSS notes that by reducing the amount of wash water the cost of shore disposal can also be cut. Bjorge recommends using a temporary hold barrier (such as WSS’ Slip Coat Plus). “This prevents the adhesion of the cargo to the hold’s surface” he noted, “resulting in a diminished need for cleaning chemicals and water.”