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The Green Passport is a document that contains an inventory of all the materials onboard a ship that require careful handling or special awareness. The record accompanies the ship throughout its operational life and is updated as necessary. At the end of the ship’s life, it helps the ship recycling yard to formulate a safe and environmentally friendly way of decommissioning the ship.

The Green Passport has also proven invaluable in the recent achievement of ISO14001 accreditation by Shell’s ship management division, as it is a means of demonstrating a ‘measurable and achievable’ enhancement of the company’s environmental standards. This helps satisfy the requirement for continuous improvement built into internationally recognized environmental management systems.

"We commend Shell on its forward-thinking attitude towards environmental protection and its early and extensive adoption of the Green Passport," says Alan Gavin, Marine Director, Lloyd’s Register. "The shipping industry now works in a zero-tolerance society which expects all stakeholders to operate in a safe and efficient manner while minimizing the risks to the environment. We believe that working with industry leaders on the implementation of initiatives such as the Green Passport represents a step forward for shipping as a whole."

Increased activity reported by Iranian ports

Teheran March 16, 2006 - Iranian ports have handled 38.948 million tons of oil products during the first 11 months of the current Iranian calendar year (started March 21, 2005), Iran News has reported.

Total goods handled by Iranian ports during the said period surpassed 89 million tons, up by 4.05 percent compared to last year's corresponding period, the paper added.

During the said period, 50.086 million tons of non-oil goods as well as 38.948 million tons of oil products have been handled through local ports, Iran News conveyed.

Transit of non-oil goods through commercial has advanced by 22.21 percent to over 1.21 million tons while transit of oil products has amounted to 3.622 million tons, indicating a rise of 5.7 percent in discharge and loading container products, said the newspaper.

Spring Icebreaking Operations From Welland Canal to Prescott

Prescott ON March 16, 2006 - The Canadian Coast Guard wishes to inform people living in the areas between the Welland Canal and Prescott, or using those sectors along the connecting waterways between the two locations, that spring icebreaking operations will begin along the normal shipping route commencing the week of March 21st, 2006.

The icebreaker CCGS Griffon will be conducting its icebreaking operations in the area, and is scheduled to transit through ice covered sections of Lake Ontario and the St. Lawrence River Main Channel from the Welland Canal to Prescott, Lake St. Francis and the Beauharnois Canal of the St. Lawrence Seaway.

Owners of facilities on the ice should move them safely onshore or sufficiently away from the commercial channels. The Canadian Coast Guard strongly advises that pedestrians, fishers and snowmobilers leave the ice when they see the icebreaker in the immediate vicinity. Although all precautions are being taken, fractured ice may become hazardous and unstable, and may create a danger for anyone in the area.

The Canadian Coast Guard's icebreaking operations take place annually in the Great Lakes in order to facilitate maritime trade, to assist in the prevention of flooding due to ice jams, and to ensure the safety of vessel traffic along commercial shipping channels.

CCGS Griffon has a red hull with a transverse white band and a white funnel bearing a maple leaf.

Proposed Ship Recycling Instrument to be Considered at IMO Environment Meeting

London March 16, 2006 - Preview: Marine Environment Protection Committee (MEPC) - 54th session: 20-24 March 2006

The Marine Environment Protection Committee (MEPC) of the International Maritime Organization (IMO) will consider the first draft of a proposed new international instrument on ship recycling when it meets for its 54th session from 20-24 March. Other issues on the agenda include ballast water management and air pollution from ships, while the Committee is also expected to adopt a number of amendments to the MARPOL convention.

Recycling of ships

The MEPC is expected to consider the first draft of a mandatory instrument providing globally applicable ship recycling regulations for international shipping and for recycling activities. The aim is to complete the instrument in time for its consideration and adoption in the 2008-2009 biennium.

Work on developing the new instrument follows the adoption by the IMO Assembly in 2005 of resolution A.981(24) New legally-binding instrument on Ship Recycling which requests the MEPC to develop a new instrument that would provide regulations for:

The MEPC will also consider the report of the second session of the Joint International Labor Organization (ILO)/IMO/Basel Convention Working Group on Ship Scrapping which met in December 2005 in Geneva.

Adoption of amendments to MARPOL

The MEPC will be invited to consider for adoption a number of amendments to the International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships, 1973, as modified by the Protocol of 1978 relating thereto (MARPOL 73/78).

Draft MARPOL regulation on oil fuel tank protection

The draft amendment to the revised MARPOL Annex I (which was adopted in October 2004 with entry into force set for 1 January 2007) would include a new regulation on oil fuel tank protection. The draft regulation is intended to apply to all ships delivered on or after 1 August 2010 with an aggregate oil fuel capacity of 600 m³and above. It includes requirements for the protected location of the fuel tanks and performance standards for accidental oil fuel outflow. A maximum capacity limit of 2,500 m³ per oil fuel tank is included in the draft regulation, which also requires Administrations to consider general safety aspects, including the need for maintenance and inspection of wing and double bottom tanks or spaces, when approving the design and construction of ships in accordance with the regulation. Consequential amendments to the IOPP Certificate will also be considered.

Definition of heavy grade oil

A further amendment to the revised MARPOL Annex I relates to the definition of "heavy grade oil" in regulation 21 on Prevention of oil pollution from oil tankers carrying heavy grade oil as cargo, replacing the words "fuel oils" with "oils, other than crude oils", thereby broadening the scope of the regulation by including in the carriage ban on single hull oil tankers other heavy grade oils whose carriage is permitted under the current regulation.

MARPOL Annex IV amendments

The draft amendment to MARPOL Annex IV Prevention of pollution by sewage from ships would add a new regulation 13 on Port State control on operational requirements. The draft regulation states that a ship, when in a port of another Party, is subject to inspection by officers duly authorized by such Party concerning operational requirements under the Annex, where there are clear grounds for believing that the master or crew are not familiar with essential shipboard procedures relating to the prevention of pollution by sewage.

Harmful aquatic organisms in ballast water

The MEPC is expected to consider for adoption the Guidelines for approval and oversight of prototype ballast water treatment technology programs (G10), which are part of a series of guidelines developed to assist in the implementation of the International Convention for the Control and Management of Ships' Ballast Water and Sediments (BWM Convention), which was adopted in February 2004.

The MEPC is also expected to consider the outcome of the first session of the GESAMP¹ Ballast Water Working Group on Active Substances, which met in January 2006 and was tasked with developing methodologies and information requirements for conducting its work and reviewing proposals for the approval of Active Substances.

Prevention of air pollution from ships

The MEPC is expected to establish a working group to consider issues relating to the prevention of air pollution from ships, in particular follow-up action to the IMO Policies and practices related to the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions from ships (resolution A.963(23)).

As instructed by MEPC 53, the Sub-Committee on Bulk Liquids and Gases (BLG) will undertake a review of MARPOL Annex VI and the NOx Technical Code with a view to revising the regulations to take account of current technology and the need to further reduce air pollution from ships. The outcome of this work will be reported to the next session of the MEPC.

OPRC-HNS implementation

The MEPC will be invited to consider the report of the fourth meeting of the OPRC HNS² Technical Group to be held in the week prior to the Committee's session. The Technical Group has on its agenda a number of items including the review and/or finalization of the draft manual on oil spill risk evaluation and assessment of response preparedness; the draft Guidance Document on Planning and Response to Chemical Releases in the Marine Environment; the revised draft IMO/UNEP guidance manual on the assessment and reinstatement of environmental damage following marine oil spills; and the development of two introductory courses on preparedness for and response to HNS incidents.

Special Areas and Particularly Sensitive Sea Areas (PSSAs)

The MEPC is expected to establish a Technical Group to consider a proposal submitted by South Africa for the designation of South Africa's southern continental shelf waters as a Special Area under MARPOL Annex I, and to develop uniform formats for the MEPC resolutions designating PSSAs and the Guidance Document for Submission of PSSA Proposals to IMO.

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¹ GESAMP: IMO/FAO/UNESCO/IOC/WHO/IAEA/UN/UNEP Joint Group of Experts on the Scientific Aspects of Marinte Environmental Protection.

² International Convention on Oil Pollution Preparedness, Response and Co-operation (OPRC Conventions) and the OPRC-HNS (Hazardous and Noxious Substances) Protocol.

Bridge Simulator Software Upgrade

Kongsberg, Norway March 7, 2006 - We have just released version 5.0 of our Polaris bridge simulator software. This release also includes a major upgrade to our SeaView visualization system. The release follows intensive testing at several customer sites over the past few months.

Ice simulation

Part of the new release includes an advanced ice module to allow training in ice navigation and maneuvering. The ice affects the ship model and is visible on radar and in the visual scene. Ice conditions can be edited on line to simulate different thickness, conditions and appearance. The ice module is available as a stand-alone upgrade, but users having a full coverage support agreement (LT-SSP) will have this feature added during the annual visit.

SeaView visual system

The new release of SeaView provides even more realistic seascapes. Among the new features are:

• New bow wave
• Azimuth / propeller wake
• Target wake
• Sun
• Spectacular reflection of sun and stars
• Other new features
• Among the new features of this release are:
• New instrument panels for Polaris Desktop simulators including a magnetic compass, fire alarms/zones, fire doors and day shape panel
• A new connection between our bridge and engine simulators to allow simultaneous training of bridge and engine room personnel. The training model is for a high speed ferry fitted with water jets
• A new advanced and modular conning display with more graphic features
• An improved radar signal generator
• Improved tugging and force calculation between own ships
• Various improvements to our AIS and communication systems

System development

Extensive interaction with our large customer base and our full commitment to IMO and the STCW convention are core elements in our development strategy. Product development manager, Capt. Aksel D. Nordholm, calls the release "a confirmation of our ability to stay in the fore front of new requirements in the Simulator Market."

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