The Office of Commerical Vessel Compliance published Marine Safety Information Bulletin 005-19, “New Procedure for Shipping Industry to Notify the US Government of Non Availability of Compliant Fuel Oil.”

Effective immediately, owners and operators of vessels operating in the North American (NA) or U.S. Caribbean Sea Emission Control Area (ECA) that are unable to acquire sufficient MARPOL Annex VI compliant fuel oil at a foreign or U.S. port may satisfy the MARPOL Annex VI Regulation 18.2.4 requirement to notify the competent authority of the relevant port of destination by notifying the cognizant U.S. Coast Guard Captain of the Port. Effective June 30, 2019, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency will stop accepting Fuel Oil Non-Availability Reports (FONARs).

Failure to make the notifications required by MARPOL Annex VI, 18.2.4 may result in a vessel control (e.g., detention) and/or enforcement action.

For full details, read or download MSIB 005-19.

This blog is not a replacement or substitute for the formal posting of regulations and updates or existing processes for receiving formal feedback of the same. Links provided on this blog will direct the reader to official source documents, such as the Federal Register, Homeport and the Code of Federal Regulations. These documents remain the official source for regulatory information published by the Coast Guard.