THETIS-S Surveillance Data Will Promote Self-Regulation
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Danish Maritime Authority (DMA) would use surveillance technology, or ‘sniffers’ that can assess compliance with the 0.10% fuel sulphur limit in ECAs by analysing ships’ exhaust plumes to feature for prominent enforcement efforts.
Several ECA countries were experimenting with the use of drones for surveillance of shipping even before they called at ports. A key part of the new 2016 action plan is to promote better data sharing to enable all ECA country authorities to optimise their enforcement, both within the European Union (EU) and at international level via the International Maritime Organization (IMO). The special EU database, THETIS-S was established especially to register and keep track of enforcement efforts.
Denmark said it would strive to include Canada, Russia and the USA in the THETIS-S cooperation.
There is also a plan to support an EU scheme, the EfficienSea2 project, where ships that voluntarily submit sulphur data from on-board measuring equipment and can acquire special treatment in port.
“Finally, the industry uses further “self-regulation” of the bunkers industry,” the action plan noted.
Source: Danish Maritime Authority
