TIM eMagazine Vol.3 Issue 6
VERIFAVIA SHIPPING
REMINDS SHIPPING
COMPANIES OF
IMMINENT IMO DCS
DEADLINE
Maersk Line
Credits: ichef.bbci.co.uk
V
erifavia, the world’s leading emissions verification
company for the transport sector (aviation and
shipping), today urged ship owners and operators to
submit their data collection plans to verifiers by the
recommended IMO deadline of September 1st 2018.
The IMO Data Collection System (IMO DCS) which
came into force on March 1st 2018 requires ships of
5,000 gross tonnage or above to collect and report
data on fuel consumption, distance sailed, and hours
underway to an IMO database from 2019.
During the IMO’s Marine Environment Protection Committee’s (MEPC)
recent 72nd session, which took place on 9-13 April 2018 in London,
the committee agreed that shipping companies must be encouraged to
submit the SEEMP Part II to their respective Flag Administration or duly
Barbuda Department of Marine Services and Merchant Shipping (ADOMS),
authorised organisation by 1st September 2018, to ensure timely
the Palau International Ship Registry (PISC), the Vanuatu Maritime Services,
verification.
and the Commonwealth of Dominica International Maritime Registry,
The committee also approved a sample format for the Confirmation of
Verifavia Shipping considers itself uniquely qualified to support ship
Compliance that certifies that the ship has a Data Collection Plan (DCP) in
owners and operators in navigating the requirements and challenges of
place within the SEEMP Part II, which complies with the IMO requirements. environmental regulations such as the EU MRV and IMO DCS.
This should enable easy and efficient compliance with the regulation.
According to Verifavia, the EU MRV and IMO DCS regulations which are
Julien Dufour, CEO, Verifavia Shipping, commented: “We’re encouraging
now both in force are relatively straightforward and the industry is
ship owners and operators to submit their DCPs against the IMO’s
overcomplicating its response to meeting these requirements. The EU
recommended deadline to ensure timely verification. As the IMO DCS
MRV system was designed to ignite the building of an international system
largely flows from the EU MRV regulation, the reality is that the process for and the IMO DCS flows directly from it. The EU MRV has 37 items on its
compliance should be relatively easy and straightforward. If shipowners
template of requirements, while the IMO DCS template has only 9 items.
comply with EU MRV, they are also likely to comply with the IMO DCS.”
Despite some minor differences between the two, the same methodologies
Aiming to eliminate unhelpful misunderstandings currently hindering
are applicable for both regulations.
compliance, Dufour expands: “There continues to be a common and
As the world’s first independent verifier to provide both IMO DCS and
unhelpful misconception that data must be submitted to the verifier in a
EU MRV verification services, Verifavia continues to leverage its existing
certain format, or that data should be generated from a verifier’s software,
in-depth knowledge, expertise, and understanding of these environmental
which goes beyond regulatory requirements. This is placing an unnecessary regulations to offer ship owners and operators a streamlined, flexible, and
additional burden on shipowners and operators. If the content submitted
cost-effective verification process.
to the verifier fulfils the requirements, the format of the data is largely
To help alleviate some of the uncertainty surrounding the compliance
irrelevant.”
process for the upcoming IMO DCS deadline, the company has developed
With authorisation or strategic cooperation agreements in place with the a comprehensive free-to-access FAQ guide which is available via its
Panama Maritime Authority, the Liberia Maritime Authority, the Antigua &
website.
www.verifavia-shipping.com
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