MEMBER ALERT Shipowners Claims Bureau, Inc., Manager One Battery Park Plaza 31 st Fl., New York, NY 10004 USA Tel: +1 212 847 4500 Fax: +1 212 847 4599 www.american-club.com American Club Member Alert –February 23, 2018 1 FEBRUARY 23, 2018 PEOPLE’S REPUBLIC OF CHINA (PRC): NEW STANDARD FOR DISCHARGING WATER POLLUTANTS FROM SHIPS Recently the PRC’s Ministry of Environmental Protection (“MEP”) and the Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine of China (AQSIQ) jointly released the formal document of national standard entitled Discharge Standard of Water Pollutants from Ships (GB 3552-2018 “Discharge Standard”) to come into force on July 1, 2018. The Discharge Standard suits the requirements under both the MARPOL 73/78 and the PRC’s national laws and regulations that will replace the current standard, GB3552-83. The Discharge Standard applies to all ships (excluding military ships) in territory waters and waters under the jurisdiction of the PRC. The forthcoming Discharge Standard has made the following main revisions: i) adding the discharge requirements for waste water containing noxious liquid substances; ii) as for the discharge control of sewage, it adds 6 indices to be monitored, i.e. pH levels, chemical oxygen demand (COD-Cr), total chlorine, ammonia nitrogen and total phosphorus; iii) lowering the discharging limit of biochemical oxygen demand (BOD 5 ), suspended solids and thermotolerant coliform bacteria in the oily wastewater and sewage; iv) adjusting the classification plan for garbage from ships and the discharge standard; v) ascertaining monitor methods on oily wastewater from machinery space and sewage; and vi) forbidding sewage discharge in drinking water protection areas of the PRC as designated by the Prevention and Control of Water Pollution and Regulations on Prevention and Control of Drinking Water Protection Areas and requiring that ships shall record down the control measures that have been taken. Most of them are inland protection areas, while others are located at estuaries of inland river where sea-going ships may not arrive. However, Members should check with their agents to determine if such requirements will apply depending upon their vessel’s destination. The Discharge Standard adopts the control requirements as set forth in the MARPOL 73/78 requirements for discharging oily wastewater, wastewater containing noxious liquid substances, sewage and garbage from ships. MEMBER ALERT Shipowners Claims Bureau, Inc., Manager One Battery Park Plaza 31 st Fl., New York, NY 10004 USA Tel: +1 212 847 4500 Fax: +1 212 847 4599 www.american-club.com American Club Member Alert –February 23, 2018 2 Furthermore, it provides for the discharge standard for ships of less than 400 gross tons and requires that, as from July 1, 2018, if the oily wastewater containing petroleum pollutants exceeds the limit of 15 mg/l, the oily waste water shall be collected and discharged into reception facilities. English translations of the Discharge Standard for Oily Wastewater (Form 1) and the Limit for Oily Wastewater from Machinery Space under the Discharge Standard (Form 2) can be accessed here . Your Managers kindly thank Haitong & Partners in Shanghai for this information.