IMO Maritime Safety Committee Adopts MODU Code Amendments
The IMO Maritime Safety Committee adopted amendments to the MODU Code during its 94th session held in November. The 1979, 1989 and 2009 MODU Codes were amended to align with the requirements of SOLAS XI-1/7 (MSC.1/Circ.1477), regarding carriage of portable atmosphere testing equipment for enclosed spaces. These amendments will become effective 1 July 2016. The committee also adopted resolution MSC.387(94) amending the 2009 MODU Code to provide for alternative procedures for lifeboat drills on MODUs. In relation to this, the committee approved MSC.1/Circ.1486 on guidelines on alternative methods for lifeboat drills on MODUs, which can be used in conjunction with the provision of onboard training and instructions in the 1979 and 1989 MODU Codes.
EPA enforcing Penalty policy for ECA Violations
As of 15 January 2015, the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) began enforcing its penalty policy for violations of the Emissions Control Area (ECA) regulations, applicable to North America and US Caribbean Sea.
The regulations require vessels operating in ECA-regulated waters to use low-sulfur fuel or adopt an alternative means to reduce their harmful emissions. The new policy provides detailed information on how the EPA will calculate the penalty. Each day of violation constitutes as a separate violation, and the new policy is of particular interest to mobile offshore drilling units given that their fuel is normally provided by the operator and that bunker delivery notes, which indicate the sulfur content, may not always be provided when the fuel is delivered.
IADC onshore, offshore Summaries issued
IADC recently issued two new reports, Federal Regulatory Actions Impacting Offshore Drilling Contractors and Federal Regulatory Actions Impacting Onshore Drilling. Released semi-annually, each report details federal regulatory actions that could impact either onshore or offshore drilling.
Click here for the IADC Federal Regulatory Actions Impacting Onshore Drilling report.
Click here for the IADC Federal Regulatory Actions Impacting Offshore Drilling report.
