The Philippine Maritime Industry Authority (Marina) has warned it will cancel the licenses of all single-hull oil tankers once a ban on these vessels takes effect from April 30, according to local press reports.Tanker operators, however, are still negotiating with Marina for an extension of the deadline.
The country's largest bunker supplier Petrotrade Philippines Inc., for instance, is in talks with Marina regarding its fleet of four single-hulled tankers that will not be converted to double-hulls in time.
''In our last discussion with Marina, they said they would extend operations of our barges up to the end of the year,'' a company source told Bunkerworld. ''But it is unclear now what their decision would be.''
If Marina declines to extend the deadline, the single-hulls will have to be dry-docked, the source said.
Marina had said they would allow single-hulls to continue operating as long as the operators can present plans to retrofit the vessels into double-hulls, the source said.''We're still negotiating with Marina and have presented to them our fleet conversion plans,'' he said.
Marina's stern warning reflects the Philippines' commitment to the International Maritime Organization (IMO)'s MARPOL Annex VI on combating oil spills globally by phasing out all single-hulled tankers by 2010, or 2015 with special exemptions.
The strict enforcement to use double-hulled vessels was mooted in a Marina memorandum circular in early 2007, following the country's worst oil spill disaster.
The ban on single-hulls in the Philippines comes two years ahead of the 2010 IMO deadline after Solar I sank off the coast of Guimaras in August 2006, leaking some 1,000 metric tonnes (mt) of fuel oil into the waters.
Local media reports said some tanker operators are still waiting for the last minute to convert their ships to double-hulls in the hope that Marina would extend the April 30 deadline.
It was reported that the petroleum tanker industry and the oil companies have been given sufficient time and resources to comply with the international ruling, and that Marina will resist pressure to extend the deadline.
Operators are complaining that conversion to double-hulled vessels is costly, and may not be economical depending on the age of the single-hulled tankers.
Converting a 5,000-mt single-hulled tanker to double-hull would cost $6-8 million, while buying a brand new double-hulled tanker would require $12-18 million, depending on the size.
The country's largest bunker supplier Petrotrade Philippines Inc., for instance, is in talks with Marina regarding its fleet of four single-hulled tankers that will not be converted to double-hulls in time.
''In our last discussion with Marina, they said they would extend operations of our barges up to the end of the year,'' a company source told Bunkerworld. ''But it is unclear now what their decision would be.''
If Marina declines to extend the deadline, the single-hulls will have to be dry-docked, the source said.
Marina had said they would allow single-hulls to continue operating as long as the operators can present plans to retrofit the vessels into double-hulls, the source said.''We're still negotiating with Marina and have presented to them our fleet conversion plans,'' he said.
Marina's stern warning reflects the Philippines' commitment to the International Maritime Organization (IMO)'s MARPOL Annex VI on combating oil spills globally by phasing out all single-hulled tankers by 2010, or 2015 with special exemptions.
The strict enforcement to use double-hulled vessels was mooted in a Marina memorandum circular in early 2007, following the country's worst oil spill disaster.
The ban on single-hulls in the Philippines comes two years ahead of the 2010 IMO deadline after Solar I sank off the coast of Guimaras in August 2006, leaking some 1,000 metric tonnes (mt) of fuel oil into the waters.
Local media reports said some tanker operators are still waiting for the last minute to convert their ships to double-hulls in the hope that Marina would extend the April 30 deadline.
It was reported that the petroleum tanker industry and the oil companies have been given sufficient time and resources to comply with the international ruling, and that Marina will resist pressure to extend the deadline.
Operators are complaining that conversion to double-hulled vessels is costly, and may not be economical depending on the age of the single-hulled tankers.
Converting a 5,000-mt single-hulled tanker to double-hull would cost $6-8 million, while buying a brand new double-hulled tanker would require $12-18 million, depending on the size.