Page 21: of Marine News Magazine (September 2012)

January 2015 it will drop to 0.1%. Close to home, the North American ECA went into effect August 1, 2012. The boundary for this ECA is roughly 200 miles off the shoreline. When a vessel changes from one fuel to another at the ECA borders, the quantities of fuel oils onboard must be logged, along with the date, time and position of the ship. This logging must occur upon completion of the fuel change-over prior to entering an ECA and upon commencing the change-over after exiting an ECA. If the vessel stays in port longer than a few hours, generator fuel usage must also comply with the maximum sulfur content. Compliance also requires a sample to be taken at each bunkering to ensure the fuel is in the proper limits. A sample must also be kept on board for a speciÞ c amount of time. ISO 14001ISO 14001 was established by the International Standards Organization (ISO) and is not limited to energy use, but focuses on the companyÕs total environmental impact. Implementation of ISO 14001 would require a company to catalog all the ways the business impacts the environment, (consumption of paper and electricity and hazardous waste production, for example) not just the impact of the fuel a vessel uses. A long list of requirements for this standard includes things such as communication of the program, training and education and management review to ensure the plan is in place and effective. SIZE: IT MATTERS NOW ; LATER , NOT SO MUCH ?Perhaps the size of your vessels or their area of operation precludes you from worrying about these latest acronyms in the maritime nomenclature. And, if you are reading MarineNews as part of our primary demographic, then you might be right Ð for now. Consider, however, that standards occurring at the over 400 gross tons mark often trickle down to smaller vessels later on. The EPA VGP and the ballast water / invasive species quandary are perfect examples of this metric. And, who could forget the new subchapter M rules? Beyond that, an energy management plan can bring signiÞ cant cost savings. While the discussion above touches only brieß y on the subject matter, expansive amounts of information are available elsewhere. Early entry into the thought process can aid in any vessel ownerÕs bottom line. www.marinelink.com MN 21MNSept2012 Layout 18-31.indd 21MNSept2012 Layout 18-31.indd 218/31/2012 9:24:22 AM8/31/2012 9:24:22 AM