Namely, as of 31 December 2020, the legislation will allow ships of 500 GT and above flying an EU country's flag, and all other ships, regardless of the flag, to hold an inventory of hazardous materials while visiting an EU or European Economic Area ( EEA) port.
In May, the organization reached out to its members to see whether the COVID-19 pandemic outbreak had raised obstacles to shipowners, who were in the process of completing their IHM and collecting the requisite paperwork before the compliance deadline.
“The responses showed that approximately 137 (58%) of the 236 ships operated by the respondents would be affected by the new regulation. Out of the affected ships, 33 (24%) had completed the process, while the rest were at various stages of compliance. The IHM process of almost all the respondents had been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic,” BIMCO stated.
Maritime Business World