European states to check for ECA compliance

The Paris Memorandum of Understanding on Port State Control, which consists of 27 countries, said it will step up inspections in 2018 to ensure that vessels are burning low-sulfur fuel close to shore.    Member states of the Paris Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on Port State Control agreed last week in Haugesund, Norway, to launch a concentrated inspection campaign of vessels in 2018 to ensure compliance with a new emissions control regime.
   Sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxide are regulated under the International Maritime Organization’s convention for preventing pollution from ships. A recent annex created a mechanism for setting up near shore Emission Control Areas (ECAs). A North American ECA requires ships operating within 200 miles from shore to use fuel with a sulfur content of no more than 0.1 percent. There are also ECAs in place in the North Sea and the Baltic Sea and in the Caribbean.
   The Paris MOU consists of 27 countries that have voluntarily agreed to coordinate port state inspection efforts.
   The group also set up a task force to monitor flag state enforcement and collect enforcement statistics.
   A group of vessel operators known as the Trident Alliance has been pushing European authorities to actively enforce emission rules so that no companies get a free ride by cheating the system.