HANSA 10-2017

Schifffahrt | Shipping
ble to implement. Along with important Flag States
and other industry associations we developed the
technical evidence to underpin a change to the requirements.
The result: IMO changed the EEDI requirements
by 20% and introduced an upper size
DWT threshold.
What do you think will be used primarily in the
future of the ferry fleet: LNG or battery systems?
Or other power sources?
Corrigan: At our upcoming conference in Split in
October, members and attendees will learn what
the future of the ferry industry may look like.
They’ll hear more about electrification – the next
game changer in the ferry industry. They will also
learn about LNG as a transition fuel away from
more carbon-intensive forms of energy, to more environmentally-
friendly sources. Batteries are seen
by the industry to be the wave of the future, once its
been proven they can operate successfully on large
vessels with longer routes.
How could ship sizes and ship designs develope
in the coming years? Some experts argue that the
ferry fleet is quite old and therefore the demand
of new buildings will grow.
Corrigan: We are pleased that the overall ferry
market is continuing to grow, and believes that given
vehicle congestion on land, this growth will continue.
Couple this with owners having more certainty
with regards to Damage Stability and EEDI
regulations, and there should be strong growth in
new vessel construction for RoRo vessels. Also,
there are a number of new passenger-only ferry
business start-ups as a result of the growing tourism
economy.
The future looks bright for ferry operators and
the industry, and Interferry looks forward to playing
a role in advocating for the industry to become
stronger together, and share best practices with
members around the world.
What do you think should be taken into account
more intensively by the political and regulatory
bodies?
Corrigan: Interferry has been intervening with
regulators to ensure that regulations under development
take into consideration all aspects
of the shipping industry in general, and the ferry
industry specifically. We are fortunate to have
consultative status at the International Maritime
Organization (IMO). Compared to the shipping
industry, the size of the ferry industry is small.
As a result, being a member of a trade association
like Interferry makes the industry stronger
together than any member could possibly be on
its own. In Europe, for example, only 3% of public
funding is allocated to the ferry industry versus
other modes of transportation. A strong and
unified voice has the opportunity to change this.
Interview: Michael Meyer
Interferry and IMO 2017
Recently, Interferry worked with the IMO on a range of files. However,
three files particularly impact on members. Besides the topic of EEDI
these are Damage Stability and Ballast Water Management, as Interferry
published in summer.
Damage Stability: Damage stability refers to a ferry’s ability to endure a
collision and survive long enough for the ship to be evacuated in an
orderly fashion. From Interferry’s point of view, the research has focused
much more on requiring the »unsinkable ship«, than preventing a collision
from occurring in the first place. After years of debate, in June
2017, the IMO Maritime Safety Committee adopted new damage stability
requirements for passenger ships. »The new regulations may be
challenging to meet, especially for ferries with long lower holds«, the
association said. It teamed up with Japan and other countries to ensure
that the technical guidelines could indeed be achieved, especially for the
smaller end of the ferry segment. »We managed to overturn a previously
agreed level of »unsinkability« to end up with requirements we believe
to be reasonable for ships carrying fewer than 1,000 passengers. For the
larger ships, and in the aftermath of the sinking of the cruise ship »Costa
Concordia«, the EU was adamant in introducing regulations that more
steel/subdivision is required going forward.
Ballast Water: Interferry believed that the spread of invasive species
should be prevented, but the issue is intercontinental rather than regional.
»Requesting a 20nm ferry to kill off all organisms in the ballast water
it lifts in Port A, and discharges in Port B, didn’t make sense for our industry«,
it was said. If a ferry always operates in the same water, Interferry
argued that it should not be accountable for the spread of foreign
species. Interferry was »pleased« that the IMO resolved this issue through
a staggering process related to the ships’ dry docking schedule.
MEPC71 added two more years of compliance time, extending the previous
September 2017 enforcement timeline to September 2019.
Interferry successfully participated in and negotiated three situations
our members would find challenging related to Ballast Water Exchange.
According to the association, since spread of invasive species is predominantly
an intercontinental issue, provisions are in place for short sea ship
to be exempted from the requirements to fit treatment systems. »These exemptions,
however, are onerous and call for the operator to conduct biological
surveys and risk assessments. Together with Denmark and Singapore,
Interferry successfully argued for the IMO to introduce an alternative approach,
where it is not a specific ship that is exempted, but a geographical
area, such as the common waters between Singapore and Indonesia. The
legal provision is now in place, waiting for operators to engage with their
Port States to designate these »Same Risk Areas.«
M
Interferry was originally formed in the USA in1976 as the International
Marine Transit Association. Since then it has changed its name and
has become a association representing the ferry industry world-wide.
There are currently over 200 members from 35 countries. The membership
includes all types of ferry operations: RoPax, RoRo, Cruise Ferries,
Fast Ferries, Passenger-only Ferries, big and small ferries.
The membership also includes suppliers such as: shipbuilders and designers,
equipment manufacturers and suppliers, naval architects and marine
engineers, ship brokers and consultants, classification societies, publishers
as well as specialists in information technology, finance, insurance,
crewing, training, etc. The association sees its primary roles »to facilitate
networking and communications within the ferry industry and to represent
it on regulatory matters.« It has consultative status at IMO.
HANSA International Maritime Journal – 154. Jahrgang – 2017 – Nr. 10 37