According to the EU regulation on Ship Recycling (EU SRR), ships and platforms visiting EU/EEA ports and anchorages must carry an Inventory of Hazardous Materials (IHM) from 2020. DNV GL explains what shipowners need to be aware of in an article published on their website where Gerhard Aulbert, the Global Head of Ship Recycling at DNV GL answers all your queries.
What ships are affected by the EU ship recycling regulation, and what are the crucial deadlines owners must keep?
EU Regulation No. 1257/2013 of 20 November 2013 took full effect on 31 December 2018. It requires EU/EEA-flagged vessels in service with a gross tonnage from 500 GT upward to carry a certified IHM as of 31 December 2020. It also applies to non-EU-flagged ships calling at a port or anchorage of an EU member state. EU/EEA-flagged newbuilds must be in compliance since 31 December 2018.
What do shipowners need to know or do to meet the deadline?
Shipowners should contract a competent third-party company (a so-called HazMat Expert) to prepare the IHM based on material or equipment sampling and testing. A list of DNV GL-approved HazMat Expert companies can be found on our ship recycling web page, whose link is provided below the interview. The entire process takes about three months per project on average. Maritime authorities may start on-board examinations of IHMs and IHM compliance documents in 2021.
How does DNV GL help customers meet the deadline?
DNV GL offers an integrated IHM app that supports IHM management throughout the lifetime of each vessel. Veracity users can find it under “My Services”. The IHM app is an easy-to-use, web-based software solution for the preparation and maintenance of IHM documentation.
What do shipowners need to do now?
Shipowners should add the IHM and/or the class notation “Recyclable” as a requirement to every newbuilding order. They should initiate the IHM certification process for their vessels in service now. As for newbuilding and retrofitting projects, they should instruct suppliers to provide Supplier’s Declarations, and implement the IHM maintenance procedure for their fleet. Furthermore, owners should exclusively choose EU-listed recycling facilities when scrapping EU-flagged vessels. We invite shipowners to join our upcoming IHM webinar in January 2020 to get all the details and make sure they understand all the implications of the regulation.
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Source: DNV GL
