The shipping industry’s guide to ensure environmental compliance
In an ever-changing regulatory environment, shipping companies must continuously adapt to new rules and regulations. In particular, environmental requirements are something shipping companies must deal with these regulations.
Several initiatives have already seen the light of day, and there will, undoubtedly, come many more regulations in the future that aim to lower the shipping industry’s impact on the environment. Consequently, you need to prepare your setup now, so you are ready to face tomorrow’s challenges and green regulatory adjustments.
So let’s dive into it and see how you can keep one step ahead of future environmental regulations (without heavy investments).
How digital solutions can help you meet future requirements
An IMO GHG study from 2020 estimated that total shipping emitted 1,056 million tonnes of CO2 in 2018, accounting for about 2.89% of the total global anthropogenic CO2 emissions for that year.
Consequently, evolving international and regional environmental laws are driving stricter requirements for vessel efficiency and environmental performance. You must ensure that you are up to date with legislation and regulations to not end up in a situation where your vessel no longer meets the authorities’ requirements. It can be a costly affair if this happens because it can force the ship to stay in port until it meets the requirements.
All these new policies will require a higher amount of registration and documentation in the future. Therefore, the future of shipping requires a focus on digitization and optimization of protocols and fleet management, and data will be a cornerstone in achieving compliance.
We know that more regulations are coming in the future. Therefore, the best course of action is to start collecting and structuring data as soon as possible, so you are ready to meet the new regulations when they take effect.
By doing so, you can gain a competitive advantage and continuously stay ahead of environmental regulations.
Comply with IHM requirements
As concern about various environmental issues increases, so too does the focus on registering hazardous materials onboard ships. That is why keeping an inventory of hazardous materials (IHM) is now a requirement.
IHM is a document that identifies, locates, and quantifies hazardous materials onboard a vessel that can pose a risk to the health and safety of people or the environment.
IHM follows IMO resolution and EU regulation and is a mandatory requirement for ships that are equal to or above 500 Gt.
But completing an IHM is only the beginning of compliance – it is the shipowner’s responsibility to ensure that the inventory always complies with the regulations.
Using a digital solution to document IHM will make it much easier to ensure compliance. Implementing a Fleet Management System entails several advantages such as:
- Management of certificates
- Support of IHM related procurement processes
- Optimal maintenance management concerning IHM
- Less administrative work for preparation and maintenance of IHM
- Control of inventory and reporting
- Dashboard overview
