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WHY MUST SHIPOWNERS PRACTICE ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT?
PROTECTING THE ENVIRONMENT IS ONE OF THE CORNERSTONES OF EFFICIENT SHIPMANAGEMENT. THUS THE SHIP-OWNERS STAND TO GAIN A LOT BY ACTIVELY PARTICIPATING IN ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT.
The need to sustain and care for our marine environment has never been greater than at present. A concerted effort from ALL HUMANITY is the current requirement. In order to tackle this problem, the Global trend is to create new legislation under the aegis of IMO and its member states. Due to this, Port State Control and other inspections, in most countries, have become frequent and rigorous. Therefore, it has become practically obligatory for ship-owners to opt for an Environmental Management System and practice it meticulously.
If, for some reason, unintentionally, a pollution incident does take place, the Environmental Management System implementation that is carried out on board, is taken into account by the concerned authorities, a reasonable and understanding perspective is taken, and the vessel is released very quickly. During Inspections, when Port State Control Inspectors notice the anti-pollution measures implemented, their attitude conspicuously changes. This entails in no deficiencies or trivial observations pointed out, thus saving the owners a lot of expenditure, undue delays, repairs, technical attendance, additional store/spare supplies, etc. etc. We do have first-hand knowledge of this.
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