Positive outlook for the short-sea sector

摘要

It's been a good month for the ferry and short-sea shipping sector. Firstly, the announcement that MEPC would look into exempting these types of vessel from the requirements of the IMO Ballast Water Management Convention (see page 16) is to be welcomed by builders and operators alike, who, quite frankly, could do without the hassle of having to factor ballast water treatment systems into already small vessels, or having to shell out for costly retrofits. Hopefully, IMO will make the sensible choice and leave the coastal and island-hopping vessels out of the equation.