1 APPLICATION
1.1 These Guidelines apply to ships when carrying energy-rich fuels or their
blends with petroleum oils and/or biofuels subject to Annex
I and Annex II of MARPOL to ensure these products are shipped under
the correct Annex of MARPOL.
2 SCOPE
2.1 These Guidelines have been developed to clarify how energy-rich fuels are shipped
under the correct Annex of MARPOL.
3 DEFINITIONS
For the purpose of these Guidelines:
3.1 Energy-rich fuels are identified by the PPR Working Group on the
Evaluation of Safety and Pollution Hazards of Chemicals (ESPH), based on an appropriate
proposal, as products falling under the scope of these Guidelines. Energy-rich fuels
will be recorded in annex 12 of the MEPC.2/Circular on Provisional categorization of
liquid substances in accordance with MARPOL Annex II and the IBC Code. Energy-rich fuels are wholly or partly derived from
non-petroleum feedstock and they can be produced either without blending as such or by
blending with petroleum products.
4 DESCRIPTION OF ENERGY-RICH FUELS
4.1 An energy-rich fuel is obtained from biological origin or non-petroleum sources (e.g.
algae, vegetable oils) or is a blend of petroleum-based fuel and a product obtained from
biological origin or non-petroleum sources (e.g. algae, Gas-to-Liquid (GTL) process,
Hydrotreated Vegetable Oil (HVO), co-processing).
4.2 An energy-rich fuel is comprised only of constituents that can be expressed as
individual chemicals of the hydrocarbon family, for example alkanes with straight or
branched chain and cycloalkanes, etc.
4.3 An energy-rich fuel is a complex mixture that is characterized as
UVCB,footnote is formed of a relatively large amount of constituents,
cannot be represented by a simple chemical structure and has a composition that may vary
from batch to batch.
5 CARRIAGE OF ENERGY-RICH FUELS
5.1 When carrying energy-rich fuels listed in annex 12 of the
MEPC.2/Circular, the requirements of Annex
I of MARPOL should apply.
5.2 When carrying energy-rich fuels, the Oil Discharge Monitoring Equipment
(ODME) shall be in compliance with regulation 31 of Annex I of MARPOL.
6 CARRIAGE OF BLENDS OF ENERGY-RICH FUELS AND BIOFUELS
The carriage provision for blends of biofuels that are recorded in annex 11 of the
MEPC.2/Circular is based on the volumetric composition of the blends as follows:
6.1 Biofuel blends containing 75% or more of energy-rich fuel
6.1.1 When containing 75% or more of energy-rich fuel, the blend is subject
to Annex I of MARPOL.
6.1.2 When carrying such biofuel blends, ODME shall be in compliance with
regulation 31 of Annex I of MARPOL and should be approved for
the mixture being transported.
6.1.3 When considering the deck fire-fighting system requirements of SOLAS
chapter II-2, regulations 1.6.1 and 1.6.2, when carrying biofuel blends containing ethyl alcohol,
then alcohol resistant foams should be used.
6.2 Biofuel blends containing less than 75% of energy-rich fuel
6.2.1 When containing less than 75% of energy-rich fuel, the biofuel blends
are subject to Annex II of MARPOL.
6.2.2 With respect to biofuels identified as falling under the scope of
these Guidelines, carriage requirements for specific biofuel/energy-rich fuel blends to
be shipped as MARPOL Annex II cargoes will be incorporated into list 1 of the
MEPC.2/Circular, as appropriate.