October 2004
From Advisory To Shipping No. A-50-2004 October 11, 2004:
1. On June 4, 2004, the Panama Canal Authority published Advisory to Shipping A-25-2004 announcing the requirements for the implementation of the Panama Canal Shipboard Oil Pollution Emergency Plan (PCSOPEP). That document affirmed ACP’s commitment to act as the sole Oil Spill Response Organization (OSRO) for Canal waters, as was recommended by the international shipping community, in order to provide an effective and less costly service for our customers.
2. To provide these services, the ACP will incur additional investments or expenditures in order to procure the necessary emergency equipment to cover response, recovery, storage and clean-up capabilities.
3. To fund the PCSOPEP program, the following tariff has been established for vessels required to comply with the PCSOPEP, based on the vessel’s tier classification and hull construction, and is applicable to each transit.
Type of Vessel
Tariff per transit (double hull vessels) Vessels with an oil carrying capacity of 400 MT up to 1,000 MT (TIER S) B/.200.00 Vessels with an oil carrying capacity of more than 1,001 MT up to 7,000 MT (TIER 1) B/.350.00 Vessels with an oil carrying capacity of more than 7,001 MT up to 15,000 MT (TIER 2) B/.600.00 Vessels with an oil carrying capacity of more than 15,000 MT (TIER 3) B/.750.00 Surcharge for vessels carrying oil as cargo and having single side or single bottom 25% Surcharge for vessels carrying oil as cargo and having single hull 50%
4. The above-mentioned charges are separate and distinct to those resulting from expenses generated from the response to an oil spill. In addition, charges and/or penalties could result from non-compliance with ACP regulations.
5. As indicated in Advisory A-25-2004, the PCSOPEP requirements become effective January 1, 2005. The address [email protected] is available for additional inquiries and plan submittals.
6. In order to avoid congestion on plan reviews, we would appreciate the submission of your PCSOPEP plans as early as possible.
In a subsequent advisory, additional information regarding the PCSOPEP requirements and tariffs is given: Advisory to Shipping 52-2004.
Panama Canal Advisories to Shipping can be found here.
