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SCHEDULE 4

VOLATILE ORGANIC COMPOUNDS

1.    Harbour authorities and terminal operators within the United Kingdom who wish to control Volatile Organic Compound (VOC) emissions as provided for in Regulation 23 (1) of the Merchant Shipping (Prevention of Air Pollution from Ships) Regulations 2008 must apply to the Secretary of State for written approval for that system. The application must include information on the size of tankers to be controlled, the cargoes requiring vapour emission control systems, the vapour emission control system to be employed, operational practices to ensure that there is no undue delay to ships and the date the harbour or terminal would like the controls to start. The application must be submitted at least eighteen months before the date that the harbour or terminal has applied for the VOC to be regulated.

2.    Harbour authorities and terminal operators who operate a vapour emission control system within harbours or terminals within the United Kingdom as provided for in Regulation 23 (1) must ensure that the system is approved by the Secretary of State in accordance with MSC/Circ 585, “Standards for Vapour Emission Control Systems”.

3.    The owner or master of any tanker which is subject to vapour emission control in a harbour or terminal within the United Kingdom that has been approved by the Secretary of State as provided for in Regulation 23(1) must be fitted with an operational vapour collection system approved in accordance with MSC/Circ 585, “Standards for Vapour Emission Control Systems”.

4.    The owner or master of any United Kingdom registered tanker which is subject to vapour emission control within a harbour or terminal, that has been notified to the IMO under Regulation 15 (2) of the 1997 Protocol to MARPOL (Annex VI), shall be provided with a vapour collection system approved in accordance with Merchant Shipping Notices 1734 (M+F) or 1735 (M+F) as appropriate taking into account MSC/Circ 585, “Standards for Vapour Emission Control Systems”.

5.    Regulation 23 of the Merchant Shipping (Prevention of Air Pollution from Ships) Regulations 2008 will only apply to gas carriers when the type of loading and containment systems allow safe retention of non methane VOC on board or their safe return ashore.