Implications of US evaporative emissions ruling for boatbuilders exporting to the US

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Following the 2008 US Environmental Protection Agency (US EPA) rule for spark ignition engines comprising exhaust and evaporative emissions limits for petrol systems on marine vessels, fuel systems in boats and personal watercrafts sold in the US must comply with these regulations as of 31 July 2011. Fuel emissions escaping through a vessel’s fuel tank and fuel system in the daily (diurnal) cycle need to be drastically reduced starting next year.

NMMA (National Marine Manufacturers Association) notified an allowance scheme, which has been negotiated with EPA assisting boat manufacturers in the phase-in of the rule. Based on the size of the manufacturer and production numbers, two options are possible differentiating between Percent-of-production allowances and Small-volume allowances. Non-US manufacturers are also eligible to apply under this scheme.

ICOMIA’s Technical Manager Udo Kleinitz has sent out a notification to the Technical Committee together with a detailed scheme of the allowances and a sample notification letter to apply with EPA for the allowance scheme, courtesy of John McKnight (NMMA) and EPA.