South Africa signs offshore STS transfer regulations

The Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment (DFFE), led by Minister Dr Dion George, has signed the Regulations for the Environmental Management of Offshore Ship-to-Ship Transfer under the National Environmental Management: Integrated Coastal Management Act, 2008. These regulations will come into force once published in the Government Gazette.

• Main action: The signed regulations create an enforceable framework to manage offshore ship-to-ship (STS) transfer operations (including bunkering) to prevent pollution and protect coastal ecosystems and the African Penguin; key measures include prohibited zones (STS banned within marine protected areas, aquaculture development zones, within 5 nautical miles of each of these zones, and within 3 nautical miles of the high-water mark), weather limits in Algoa Bay (wind speeds below 22 knots, wave heights below 2 metres), requirement for spill-response vessel standby within 5 nautical miles, mandatory use of drip trays/leak detection/inflatable booms, and penalties up to R2 million and/or up to 5 years imprisonment.
• Additional details and compliance: Operators must monitor for penguins and marine mammals, deploy hydrophone systems, report sightings/incidents, and have immediate response plans for oiled/injured wildlife; all crew require environmental awareness training and each operator must submit an independent Environmental Management Plan approved by the Minister; Algoa Bay specific rules: operations confined to designated anchorages with limits on number of operators and tankers and seasonal restrictions in anchorage area 2. Media contacts provided (Thobile Zulu-Molobi and Chelsey Wilken) and the signed regulations are available once published in the Government Gazette.