Posted on July 6, 2022
Though the latest meeting of IMO’s Marine Environmental Protection was widely criticized for taking “just baby steps” on decarbonization, some of those steps still place a significant compliance burden on shipowners. For example, from January 1, 2023, all ships over 5,000 grt will be required to carry a verified SEEMP Part III manual on board. The requirement was finalized in the latest amendments to MARPOL Annex VI and the associated guidelines made at MEPC 78 last month. The first vessel to meet that requirement, according to classification society DNV, is Athens-headquartered Arcadia Shipmanagement Co Ltd.’s tanker Aegean Myth.
“DNV congratulates Arcadia Shipmanagement on being the first company to receive SEEMP Part III approval,” said Ioannis Chiotopoulos, senior vice president—regional manager SE Europe, Middle & Africa, DNV Maritime, at a ceremony in which Arcadia received the certification “It demonstrates their willingness to ensure that their vessels are out in front, in terms of both regulatory compliance and their sensitivity to the environment. In addition, to have been able to complete the SEEMP Part III preparation and approval so quickly after MEPC shows great teamwork and the effectiveness of our new digital tools. The CII will require more of the shipping industry in terms of data collection and sharing. At DNV, we have invested in developing our competence and services for this new regime, including developing a set of digital solutions that will make compliance as simple and transparent as possible for our customers.”
The SEEMP Part III, or Ship Operational Carbon Intensity Plan, requires ship owners and operators to monitor, report and verify CO2 emissions annually for all vessels larger than 5,000 GT. It is a ship-specific document, a dynamic and regularly updated three-year implementation plan describing how a vessel will achieve the required Carbon Intensity Indicator (CII) over the next three years, with yearly targets, procedures for self-evaluation and improvement, and a corrective action plan in case of an inferior rating.
“We are very proud to be the first shipping company to have received approval by the world’s leading classification society, DNV, for our fleet’s SEEMP Part III, starting with our Aegean Myth vessel,” said Dimitrios Mattheou, CEO of Arcadia Shipmanagement Co Ltd. “At Arcadia we are committed to providing safe, sustainable, and reliable transportation of oil by sea. Initiatives like this broaden the values of safety and environmental excellence by implementing effective management systems to comply with incoming regulations to consistently achieve reliable and environmental incident-free performance. This approval by DNV marks the first milestone for smooth compliance with IMO’s requirements. We would also like to thank Alpha Marine Consulting PC for supporting us in SEEMP Part III preparation,” he added.
DNV recently released a free SEEMP III Generator tool for DNV customers. The system can propose energy efficiency measures and help vessel operators reach the required CII. It can also help to reduce paperwork and can be used by both ship managers and third-party consultants working on behalf of DNV DCS customers.
