On July 1, 2019, the Instruction for the reduction of hydrogen sulphide emissions into the atmosphere in the oil-bearing products in the Port of Ceuta entered into force.

The Port Authority of Ceuta (APC), related to the environmental improvement initiative, published the instructions for reducing hydrogen sulphide emissions into the atmosphere, as of July 1, 2019. This initiative promoted by this Port Authority was approved by the Board of Directors on April 9, 2019 and published in BOCCE No. 5888 on May 21.

This instruction was created as a sign of the APC’s commitment to environmental protection and is intended to contribute to the process of continuous improvement that characterizes its environmental management system, which in turn constitutes one of the main requirements of ISO 14001, which represents an international standard of environmental management and the PERS (Port Environmental Review System), which constitutes the only environmental management standard specifically created for the port sector.

From this date, the ship agents will have the obligation to attach to the DUE (single call document) the model statement provided by the APC, duly completed and sealed by the ship’s captain, affecting only the operations of cargo in transit and discharges of products containing hydrogen sulphide (S2H) as occurs with petroleum and its petroleum by-products.

Likewise, the operators of these products will have a maximum period of three months, to install electronic alarms that continuously analyze the concentration of S2H in the vapor phase, guaranteeing not exceeding the limits established in terms of concentrations of hydrogen sulphide, in the areas of storage and maritime terminals.