As part of MPA's continual efforts to maintain the Singapore quality flag, the Flag State Control Department conducted two dialogue sessions for shipowners and companies of Singapore-flagged ships in the early part of July 2018. These sessions presented opportunities for MPA to receive feedback and practical experiences faced by shipping companies.
A note-worthy aspect of this year's dialogue was the invitation of speakers from Lloyd's Register and Innospec Fuel Specialties to share knowledge and experiences in the preparation leading up to IMO's 2020 global sulphur limit, a very major regulatory development affecting the shipping industry. In particular, Innospec shared their solutions of using tank cleaning additives for cleaning out the ship's fuel tanks as a preparatory and transitional measure for the consistent implementation of Regulation 14.1.3 of MARPOL Annex VI.
Over 100 marine and technical superintendents and shipping executives from 53 shipping companies, a few of which are based overseas, and also senior staff from MPA's Recognized Organisations attended the dialogue sessions held at MPA Academy.
Participants were briefed on the performance of the Singapore flag including Port State Control (PSC) detention statistics, MPA's SRS Quality Flag Assessment 5-year Programme, and new initiatives by MPA to improve service to customers. Several updates were also made on the Ballast Water Management Convention including the installation timeline, contingency measures, and appropriate use of exemption clauses.
