Amendments to MARPOL Annex VI that make the data collection system for fuel oil consumption of ships mandatory were adopted at 70th session of the Marine Environment Protection Committee (MEPC 70) held in October 2016, and will come into force from 1 March 2018 (IMO Resolution MEPC.278(70)). According to this regulation, for ships of 5,000 gross tonnage and above engaged in international voyage, the data collecting and reporting will be required the from 2019 calendar year.

ClassNK will conduct the relevant document review and issuance of the statement of compliance subject to the authorization from Administration.

This Technical Information provides general explanations of the requirements on data collection system (hereafter IMO DCS) as well as the relevant procedures for its implementation especially for the preparation and submission for the SEEMP (Data Collection Plan) for verification as first step, prior to the entry-into-force of the new regulation.

In this context, the EU regulation on monitoring, reporting and verification of carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions (Regulation (EU) 2015/757, EU MRV) has already been implemented, and this Technical Information uses the term of IMO DCS in order to distinguish it. For the relevant information on EU MRV, please refer to ClassNK Technical Information No.TEC-1031, TEC-1100 and TEC-1111.

1. Terminology
The following definitions for terminology will apply in this Technical Information.
(1) "Calendar year" means the period from 1 January until 31 December inclusive.
(2) "Company" means the owner of the ship or any other organization or person such as the manager, or the bareboat charterer, who has assumed the responsibility for operation of the ship from the owner of the ship and who on assuming such responsibility has agreed to take over all the duties and responsibilities imposed by the International Management Code for the Safe Operation of Ships and for Pollution Prevention, as amended.
(3) "Distance travelled" means distance travelled over ground while ship is underway under its own propulsion.
(4) "Hours underway" means duration time while ship is underway under its own propulsion.

(To be continued)