Panama Canal Shipboard Oil Pollution Emergency Plan (PCSOPEP) requirements 25 November 2004 No.04-009 Please refer to Japan P&I News No.489 of 18 November 2003 and Japan P&I News No.500 of 11June 2004. In August 2003, the Panama Canal Authority (ACP) issued an Advisory No.A-28-2003 indicating that vessels with the capacity to carry 400 metric tons or more of oil as cargo and/or fuel would be required to submit to the ACP for approval a PCSOPEP (Panama Canal Shipboard Oil Pollution Emergency Plan) before transiting the Canal. As a result of the comments made by the industry organisations, the PCSOPEP requirements have been revised several times since the initial advisory. In particular, the ACP in its Advisory No.A-25-2004 indicated that the ACP will act as the sole oil spill removal organisation (OSRO), funded by charging a transiting fee to the relevant vessels. In addition, the previous requirement for a QI (qualified individual) has been replaced by a requirement for an Authorized Person (AP), who must be domiciled in Panama, be fluent in Spanish or English, and be responsible for liaising with the ACP in the provision and lodging of guarantees to the satisfaction of the ACP for spill response and clean-up actions when an incident occurs. The transit fees were subsequently advised in ACP's Advisory No.A-50-2004. The PCSOPEP requirements are due to take effect from 1st January, 2005, and, as they currently stand, need particular attention in the following three areas: 1. Plan writing Owners of vessels meeting the requirements must submit a PCSOPEP to ACP for review and approval. The ACP will offer PCSOPEP verification services free of charge. The International Chamber of Shipping has advised that it intends to submit a model PCSOPEP Addendum for ACP's approval. If approved, the model plan may be used by the owners to assist them in writing the plan in-house. The ICS will advise its members as soon as the work is completed. Several US spill management firms