2010/769/EU: Commission Decision of 13 December 2010 on the establishment of criteria for the use by liquefied natural gas carriers of technological methods as an alternative to using low sulphur marine fuels meeting the requirements of Article 4b of Council Directive 1999/32/EC relating to a reduction in the sulphur content of certain liquid fuels as amended by Directive 2005/33/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council on the sulphur content of marine fuels (notified under document C(2010) 8753) Text with EEA relevance

A Liquefied Natural Gas Carrier (LNG Carrier) is a cargo ship constructed or adapted and used for the carriage in bulk of liquefied natural gas as defined under the International Code for the Construction and Equipment of Ships Carrying Liquefied Gases in Bulk (IGC) Code.

To meet the objective on reducing emissions from ships through an alternative technological abatement method by a mixture of marine fuel and boil-off gas the LNG Carriers shall use and comply with the calculation criteria set out in Annex. The LNG Carriers may use the alternative technological abatement method while at berth in Community ports, allowing sufficient time for the crew to accomplish any necessary measures to employ a mixture of marine fuel and boil-off gas as soon as possible after arrival at berth and as late as possible before departure.

The achieved emission reductions in sulphur emissions due to the application of the method referred to in Article 2 must be at least equivalent to the reduction that would be achieved through the limits of the sulphur in fuel specified in the Directive.

Member States shall require LNG Carriers which use the alternative technological abatement method and call at ports under their jurisdiction to provide detailed record in the ship’s log-book, containing the type and quantity of fuels used on board. For this purpose, these ships shall be equipped for continuous monitoring and metering of the boil-off gas and marine fuel consumption.

Member States shall take appropriate measures to monitor and verify the use of the alternative technological abatement method while at berth based on the achieved emissions reductions provided by LNG Carriers.

This Decision is addressed to the Member States.