The Bahamas issues instructions and guidance on fuel consumption data reporting

The Bahamas Maritime Authority (BMA) has issued the marine notice entitled Fuel Consumption Data and Recording, addressed to ship owners, managers, masters, approved nautical inspectors, recognised organisations and surveyors.

This Marine Notice issued on November 17th, 2022, supersedes BMA Information Bulletin No. 172.

Purpose

This Marine Notice is intended to provide instructions and guidance to Companies operating Bahamian ships on fuel consumption data reporting, as required under Regulation 26 and necessary preparations for introduction of a Carbon Intensity Index rating (CII) per Regulation 28 of Annex VI of the International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships 1973, as amended (MARPOL Annex VI).

This Marine Notice also outlines Bahamas Maritime Authority (BMA) advice towards compliance with fuel consumption monitoring, reporting and verification requirements for ships calling at European Union (EU) and/or United Kingdom (UK) ports (EU & UK MRV).

This Notice should be read in conjunction with Regulations 26, 27 & 28 and Appendices IX & X of MARPOL Annex VI, and International Maritime Organization (IMO) Resolutions MEPC.338(76), MEPC.346(78) through 349(78), MEPC.352(78) through 355(78) and Circular MEPC.1/Circ.901.

Application

This Notice applies to all ships of 5,000 gross tonnage and above with the exception of:

• ships not propelled by mechanical means;
• offshore platforms, including FPSOs, FSUs and drilling rigs, regardless of their propulsion;
• ships operating exclusively in Bahamian waters, provided that such ships are constructed and act in a manner consistent with Chapter 4 of MARPOL Annex VI so far as is reasonable and practicable.

Fuel consumption data collection and annual operational CII rating requirements also apply to ships that may have joined or left the Bahamas flag during the calendar year for which only data for a partial annual submission is available.

In situations where a ship is under repair or conversion, or in extended lay-up, or remains otherwise out of active operations during the entire year, the requirements of this Notice apply should the ship have consumed and/or bunkered any quantity of fuel during the year.

The provisions of this Notice may be voluntarily adopted for ships of less than 5,000 gross tonnage.

For more information, please see the link below:

RELEVANT DOCUMENT (AVAILABLE ONLY TO SUBSCRIBERS):

Fuel Consumption Data and Recording