1. The Norwegian Maritime Authority (NMA) has adopted amendments to the Regulations on 30 May 2012 No. 488 on environmental safety for ships and mobile offshore units (Environmental Safety Regulations).

2. The new requirements include special requirements concerning discharge of sewage and grey water into the Norwegian world heritage fjords (hereafter referred to as "the HF"), ref. section 10a of the Environmental Safety Regulations.

3. For operations in the HF, the following special requirements apply:

  1. 3.1.   prohibition against the discharge of sewage and grey water, ref. section 10a;
    3.2.   sulphur content requirements similar to requirements applicable to ships operating in emission control areas (ECAs) for the entire area comprising the HF, and prohibition against the use of open loop scrubbers, ref. section 14b;
    3.3.   stricter requirements for NOx emissions, ref. section 14c;
    3.4.   a requirement to carry an environmental instruction, specifically developed and implemented for operations in the HF, ref. section 14d; and
    3.5.   prohibition against incineration of waste on board ships in the HF, ref. section 14e.

4. According to new section 14d of the Environmental Safety Regulations, ships of 10,000 gross tonnage and upwards operating in the HF shall carry an environmental instruction which specifically describes the measures to be carried out in order to ensure compliance with the requirements for operations in the HF.

5. The environmental instruction should identify and specify actions to be performed by the shipping company or the ship management in order to ensure that the ship is operated as environmentally friendly as possible by means of technical and operational measures and crew awareness training.

6. The status of technical systems should be verified, and specific operational issues and procedures relevant for voyages in the HF should be documented in order to demonstrate compliance with the requirements for operating in the HF.

7. The environmental instruction should as a minimum cover the issues set out in annex I to these guidelines.


ANNEX I

No.

 

General check points

 

1

Discharge of sewage is prohibited, except when it has been treated in an approved sewage treatment plant certified by the Administration to meet the requirements of MARPOL Reg. IV/9.1.1. The effluent shall not produce visible floating solids nor cause discolouration of the surrounding water.
The environmental instruction should clearly state how the ship will handle sewage in the HF.

Log books
Observations of any discharge
Maintenance log

 

2

Discharge of grey water is prohibited, except when it has been treated in an approved sewage treatment plant certified by the Administration to meet the requirements of MARPOL Reg. IV/9.1.1. The effluent shall not produce visible floating solids nor cause discolouration of the surrounding water.
The environmental instruction should clearly state how the ship will handle grey water in the HF.

Log books
Observations of any discharge

 

3

Ships in the HF shall use either fuel with a low sulphur content, an approved closed loop exhaust gas cleaning system or an approved hybrid exhaust gas cleaning system in closed loop mode.
Ships using an exhaust gas cleaning system to meet the sulphur requirement are required to use a device for reducing visible emissions to air.
The environmental instruction should clearly state which fuel the ship will use in the fjords, and if a close loop scrubber is used, it must be stated which device is being used to remove visible smoke.

Sulphur content checked on board
Log books
Delivery notes

 

4

NOx reduction requirement.
• Tier I requirements to be satisfied within 1 January 2020;
• Tier II requirements to be satisfied within 1 January 2022;
• Tier III requirements to be satisfied within 1 January 2025.
From 1 January 2020, NOx technical files and the Engine International Air Pollution Prevention (EIAPP) Certificate must be available for inspection.
The environmental instruction should identify the level of NOx emission from 1 January 2020.

Technical files
EIAPP certificate

 

5

Incineration of waste is prohibited.
This should be noted in the environment instruction.

Log books

 

6

The number of generators running and the load on generators have a significant impact on emission levels.
The environmental instruction should identify the number of generators that will be running, and the recommended load on each generator.

Log books
Ship Energy Efficiency Management Plan (SEEMP)

 

7

Mooring, anchoring or dynamic positioning (DP).

The environmental instruction should describe the preferred method, the environmental impact of each of the alternatives, and which emission reducing action should be implemented.

Procedures
Log books

 

8

Speed in the HF has an impact on emission.
The environmental instruction should identify the optimal speed regarding emission, but also consider waves produced by the ship.
The safety of the ship shall not be jeopardised during manoeuvring.

AIS
Log books

 

9

In order to ensure that relevant personnel on board are aware of the Regulations specifically applicable to operations in the HF and adhere to them, training requirements have been included in the Regulations.
The environmental instruction should describe the awareness training program for selected crew and staff members. As a minimum, key personnel should undergo the awareness training. The training should be logged/documented prior to entering the HF.

Familiarisation logs or similar.

 

10

Smoke has been a problem in the HF for the past years. Visible smoke consists of exhaust gases, particulate matter and water vapour and should be kept to a minimum.
While most of the ships visiting the HF produce very little smoke when arriving, manoeuvring or leaving the fjords, others produce heavy clouds hanging over the fjords. This is unacceptable.
The environmental instruction should describe technical and operational measures implemented to keep visible smoke to a minimum.
Visible smoke density above what the NMA considers acceptable will have consequences for the shipowner/ship.

Pictures
Log books

 

11

When the ship is at anchor or using dynamic positioning, the use of tenders may have an impact on the environment in terms of noise pollution and/or emissions.
The environmental instruction should describe if and how the tenders will be operated in order to reduce the environmental footprint of these means as much as possible.

Maintenance log
Operational instruction