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India Restricts Single Hull TankersEnvironment News Service, USA
NEW DELHI, India, (ENS) - To protect its coastal waters from oil and chemical spills, the Indian government has decided to restrict the entry of single hull foreign oil tankers more than 25 years old into the Indian waters from September 1, according to Shri Dilipkumar Mansukhlal Gandhi, minister of state for shipping. The chartering of sub-standard oil tankers from other countries for operation in Indian waters, especially from European countries where most single hull oil tankers older than 25 years have been banned, has caused a potential threat to the marine environment from oil pollution,” Gandhi said. Therefore, with a view to preventing any possible hazards to the marine environment, the Maritime Administration has been compelled to issue guidelines as a precautionary measure, he said in answer to a parliamentary question. The new government guidelines must be followed by the oil tanker charters and oil terminal operators while chartering foreign flag oil tankers. They indicate that the new restrictions do not apply to crude oil carriers and chemical tankers with segregated ballast tanks in protective locations below 25 years of age. All tankers must be classed with the International Association of Classification Societies (IACS) or the Indian Register of Shipping. All tankers older than 20 years must have a rating for hull,
machinery and cargo equipment from IACS that conforms with the new Indian
government guidelines. As the result of amendments to the International Convention
for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships (MARPOL) as approved by the
International Maritime Organization and the recent measures imposed by
the European Union countries, most of the world’s single hull tankers
of 20,000 deadweight and above are to be phased out from 2003 onwards,
depending upon their age. Copyright Environment News Service (ENS) 2003. |
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