Cyprus: reporting the carriage of natural gas condensates

The Shipping Deputy Ministry of Cyprus has issued a circular about reporting the carriage of natural gas condensates.

This circular was published on January 5th, 2023, and is addressed to all registered owners, registered bareboat charterers, managers, and representatives of ships flying the Cyprus flag.

1. With immediate effect* ships flying the Cyprus flag are required to report to the Shipping Deputy Ministry (SDM) the carriage of natural gas condensates of subheading CN 2709 00 10 if it originates in, or exported from, liquefied natural gas production plants located in the Russian Federation and, in this respect, to provide to SDM salient information.

*Related information is already provided in Sanctions Information Notice No. 16/2022 of 20 December 2022.

2. This requirement applies to ships that, at 00:00 UTC on 17 December 2022, were loading natural gas condensates; or have completed the loading of natural gas condensates and were awaiting to depart from the place of loading; or will carry natural gas condensates after that time.

3. The information shall be provided not later than 24 hours after the departure of the ships, which have loaded natural gas condensates, from the place where the completion of the loading operations has occurred.

The information should correspond to that recorded in the related provisions of the statement of facts for the call of the ship. If the matter involves the berthing of a ship at a shore-based terminal for loading, the information to be reported is the following:

(1) name and call sign of ship;
(2) port(s) or place(s) of loading natural gas condensates;
(3) date and time of arrival of the ship alongside in order to commence loading and date and time of departure of the ship from alongside after it has completed loading (all intermediate occasions should be ignored);
(4) date and time of commencement of loading and date and time of completion of loading (all stoppages should be ignored);
(5) the name of the plant which has produced the natural gas condensates which has been loaded;
(6) using metric units, the mass, volume and density of the natural gas condensates which has been loaded; and
(7) port(s) or place(s) where the natural gas condensates will be unloaded.

3.1 If the loading takes place at several shore-based and/or offshore terminals and/or involves several ship-to-ship, the information to be provided pursuant to subparagraphs (2) to (6) should be adjusted as necessary to provide a complete picture of the loading operations.

3.2 The information to be provided pursuant to subparagraph (7) should be updated, if relevant facts are not known when providing the information or if the information already provided is no longer valid.

3.3 The information should be sent either by the registered owner or the registered bareboat charter, as the case may be, or by the designated person ashore of the company named in the ship’s Safety Management Certificate or Interim Safety Management Certificate to the email address perm.sec@dms.gov.cy.

3.4 The SDM may request the submission of related documents.

4. The relevant provisions of Council Regulation (EU) 2022/2474 of 16 December 2022 relating to natural gas condensates are attached as an annex to this Circular.

Annex

Council Regulation (EU) 2022/2474 of 16 December 2022 amending Council Regulation (EU) No 833/2014 concerning restrictive measures in view of Russia’s actions destabilising the situation in Ukraine, came into force on 17 December 2022, includes the following in relation to natural gas condensates:

Recital (20)

(20) It is appropriate to exclude natural gas condensates produced in liquefied natural gas (LNG) production plants from the restrictions set out in Articles 3m and 3n, in order to ensure the security of the liquefied natural gas supply. In order to avoid circumvention and ensure that restricted natural gas condensate products under Articles 3m and 3n are not purchased, imported or transported into the Union or to third countries, it is appropriate to introduce a reporting obligation for the operators engaged in transactions concerning natural gas condensate from LNG productions plants.

In Article 3m, the following paragraphs are added:

11. Natural and legal persons, entities and bodies shall inform within two weeks the competent authority of the Member State where they are resident, located, established or incorporated, of all transactions for the purchase, import or transfer into the Union of natural gas condensates of subheading CN 2709 00 10 from liquefied natural gas production plants, originating in or exported from Russia. The reporting shall include information on volumes. The Member State concerned shall provide the other Member States and the Commission with the information received under the previous subparagraph.
12. Based on the information received under paragraph 11, the Commission shall review the functioning of the measures concerning natural gas condensates of subheading CN 2709 00 10 from liquefied natural gas production plants, originating in or exported from Russia, no later than 18 June 2023.”

In Article 3n, the following paragraphs are added:

12. Natural and legal persons, entities and bodies shall inform within two weeks the competent authority of the Member State where they are resident, located, established or incorporated, of all transactions for the purchase or transfer into third countries of natural gas condensates of subheading CN 2709 00 10 from liquefied natural gas production plants, originating in or exported from Russia. The reporting shall include information on volumes. The Member State concerned shall provide the other Member States and the Commission with the information received under the previous subparagraph.
13. Based on the information received under paragraph 12, the Commission shall review the functioning of the measures concerning natural gas condensates of subheading CN 2709 00 10 from liquefied natural gas production plants, originating in or exported from Russia, no later than 18 June 2023.’

The existing Annex XXV to Council Regulation (EU) No. 833/2014 is replaced by the following: