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The Vienna Convention for the Protection of the Ozone Layer and the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer logo was developed to provide a distinct brand for the two treaties across various communication assets and applications. The visual identity guideline is designed to provide a comprehensive overview of applications and correct use of the logo.
Parties’ reports on illegal trade
| Date | Substances traded | Volume | Exporting country | Details of the illegal ODS trade | Action taken | Remarks |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 02-05-2012 | R404A, R410A | 30 Cylinders, 27 Cylinders | Kenya/UAE | Contaminated | Reshipment at the cost of the importing company and revocation of the ODS import license | UNEP/OzL.Pro.28/INF/5 |
| 08-12-2012 | R22, R134a, R404A | 30 Cylinders, 30 Cylinders, 40 Cylinders | Kenya/UAE | R134a had banned R12 while R404A had 25% of the banned R12 | Reshipment order and License application request was rejected | UNEP/OzL.Pro.28/INF/5 |
| 01-04-2014 | R22, R134a, R404A, R407C, R410A | 9,534Kg, 10,880Kg, 4,360Kg, 678Kg, 3,390Kg | Kenya/China | Expiry of permit and importing license | Refrigerant consignment stopped from clearance by customs until updated valid ODS permit and ODS license obtained from issuing authority | UNEP/OzL.Pro.28/INF/5 |
Parties’ reports on illegal trade
| Date | Substances traded | Volume | Exporting country | Details of the illegal ODS trade | Action taken | Remarks |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | HCFC-22 CFC-12 | Not specified | Trans-shipment from China to Russia via Netherlands | In July 2015 the Dutch Environmental Inspectorate has blocked in the Port of Rotterdam 2 containers with gas bottles containing refrigerants for further transport. From samples taken from the refrigerants it was shown that, despite their labelling as HFC’s (R-134a and R-407c) the bottles contained partly HCFC-22 and CFC-12 Legislation According to the European Ozone Regulation (EC) No 1005/2009 and related Dutch national legislation such import of Ozone Depleting Substances is illegal and this ban on import is broadly formulated addressing everyone involved. | The Council of State of the Netherlands determined that in addition to the sender and receiver also a shipping company can be considered as offender of a legal ban on imports of ozone-depleting substances. Cease and desist order. The Environmental Inspectorate considered all parties involved in this case as offenders and the Chinese supplier, the Russian addressee as well as the shipping company were all imposed with cease and desist orders requiring full destruction of all illegal ODS refrigerants and payment of storage costs conditional to a penalty. Eventually the shipping company appealed to this cease and desist order. Shipping company’s view The company’s position was that they were wrongly addressed as offender in this case and could not be blamed as they must be able to rely on the accuracy of the product information provided by the other parties involved. It cannot be expected from them to check the content of all gas bottles. They are suffering from the actions of the Chinese and Russian parties. The Ruling In its Ruling no 201706000/1/A1 from April 25, 2018, the Netherlands Council of State did not agree and puts the Environmental Inspectorate in the right. The import ban is also targeting a shipping company which can be therefor also considered as offender. Furthermore, from a professional carrier some research into the contents of the bottles can be expected. The Council of State also found important that it was a known smuggling route of ozone depleting substances. Furthermore, the carrier could check the gas cylinders in a relatively easy way through sampling. | Importance This ruling is important because it facilitates the approach to address this kind of international smuggling activities. There are also more of this kind of broadly formulated prohibitions. So also for other areas this statement is of interest. Carriers will have to take their responsibilities and be more active in preventing violations of this kind of import bans. Link to the full ruling of the NL Council of State (in Dutch): http://www.raadvanstate.nl/uitspraken/zoeken-in-uitspraken/tekst-uitspraak.html?id=94929. Annex to UNEP/OzL.Pro.30/INF/5 |
Parties’ reports on illegal trade
| Date | Substances traded | Volume | Exporting country | Details of the illegal ODS trade | Action taken | Remarks |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 01-07-2001 | CFC-12 | 31,112 kg (each 300 g x 103,705 cans) | China | A firm purchased 103,705 cans of CFC-12 knowing the substance was illegal to import. | Annex to UNEP/OzL.Pro.16/7 | |
| 01-10-2002 | CFC-13 | 4,536kg (each 250 g X 18,142 cans) | China | A firm tried to import 18,142 cans of CFC-12 from China. The firm falsely declared to customs authorities that the drums contained ethylene glycol. | Annex to UNEP/OzL.Pro.16/7 |
Parties’ reports on illegal trade
| Date | Substances traded | Volume | Exporting country | Details of the illegal ODS trade | Action taken | Remarks |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 19-02-2015 | CFC 12 | 13,60 kg | From Turkey transit through the Republic of Uzbekistan to the Republic of Tajikistan. | During customs inspection of transit cargo, following transit from Turkey to the Republic of Tajikistan the customs officers discovered cylinder labeled as «DIKHLORO-DIFLUORMETAN» 13,6 kg. (R12) which was not declared in the shipping documents in the truck arriving to the Customs clearance point of "Sariasiya". | The ODS – CFC 12 seized from illegal trade was placed in storage of the State Customs Committee of the Republic of Uzbekistan for future destruction. | Annex to UNEP/OzL.Pro.29/INF/5/Rev.1 - submission dated 25-Nov-16 |
| 25-02-2015 | CFC 12 | 466,00 kg | Illegal import from Kadamjay district of Batken region of Kyrgyzstan to the Republic of Uzbekistan. | The officers of the anti-smuggling department of the Fergana regional department of the State Customs Committee of the Republic of Uzbekistan, received operational information, about illegal possession of refrigerants | The ODS – CFC 12 seized from illegal trade was placed in storage of the State Customs Committee of the Republic of Uzbekistan for future destruction. | Annex to UNEP/OzL.Pro.29/INF/5/Rev.1 - submission dated 25-Nov-16 |
| 01-02-2015 | HCFC 22 | 357,00 kg | The ODS – HCFC 22 seized from illegal trade was placed in storage of the State Customs Committee of the Republic of Uzbekistan and will be consumed within Uzbekistan’s consumption limit of 2016. | Annex to UNEP/OzL.Pro.29/INF/5/Rev.1 - submission dated 25-Nov-16 | ||
| 24-04-2015 | CFC 12 | 177,00 kg | Illegal import from Kadamjay district of Batken region of the Kyrgyz Republic to the Republic of Uzbekistan. | The officers of the anti-smuggling department of the Fergana regional department of the State Customs Committee of the Republic of Uzbekistan revealed illegal smuggling in the village Sufan, Quvasoy region of Fergana region | The ODS – CFC 12 seized from illegal trade was placed in storage of the State Customs Committee of the Republic of Uzbekistan for future destruction. | Annex to UNEP/OzL.Pro.29/INF/5/Rev.1 - submission dated 25-Nov-16 |
| 04-08-2015 | HCFC 22 | 58,00 kg | Illegal import from Kadamjay district of Batken region of Kyrgyzstan to the Republic of Uzbekistan. | The border services officers of the military unit number 9229 revealed the illegal import of refrigerants by car in Kh. Tursunkulova street of Fergana district. | The ODS – HCFC 22 seized from illegal trade was placed in storage of the State Customs Committee of the Republic of Uzbekistan and will be consumed within the limit of 2016. | Annex to UNEP/OzL.Pro.29/INF/5/Rev.1 - submission dated 25-Nov-16 |
| 04-08-2015 | CFC 12 | 38,36 kg | The ODS – CFC 12 seized from illegal trade was placed in the storage of the State Customs Committee of the Republic of Uzbekistan for future destruction. | Annex to UNEP/OzL.Pro.29/INF/5/Rev.1 - submission dated 25-Nov-16 | ||
| 29-08-2015 | HCFC 22 | 10162,0 kg | HCFC 22 were illegally imported to Uzbekistan from China. | HCFC 22 was illegally imported to the country under different HS code, thus, it was recognized later, and for which Uzbekistan did not provide permission for import of stated amount. | The ODS – HCFC 22 seized from illegal trade was placed in storage of the State Customs Committee of the Republic of Uzbekistan and will be consumed within Uzbekistan’s consumption limit of 2016. | Annex to UNEP/OzL.Pro.29/INF/5/Rev.1 - submission dated 25-Nov-16 |
| 28-01-2010 | CFC-12 | 7 cylinders of CFC-12 and 50 cylinders of R-600 | China | Goods impounded by police unit following inspection by Customs authorities. Laboratory tests confirmed refrigerants to be CFC-12. | Smuggler fined approximately $75 by a court and substances detained for destruction | Annex to UNEP/OzL.Pro.22/INF/4 |
| 08-05-2010 | Unspecified refrigerators | 5 refrigerators | Country of origin not identified | The smuggler was apprehended during a spot check and failed to produce an import permit for the refrigerants. | Investigation in progress | Annex to UNEP/OzL.Pro.22/INF/4 |
| 10-06-2010 | HCFCs | 2 refrigerators and 2 items of air-conditioning equipment containing R600 and HCFC-22 | China | Goods found in a truck but the smuggler failed to present import documents. | Substances confiscated and smuggler fined approximately $155 by a court | Annex to UNEP/OzL.Pro.22/INF/4 |
| 06-07-2010 | HCFCs | 20 kg of HCFC-134a and 16 kg of CFC-12 | China | Refrigerants found hidden in the car boot. Confiscated during joint raid by Customs and traffic police at a checkpoint. | Refrigerants confiscated and smuggler fined $25 by a court | Annex to UNEP/OzL.Pro.22/INF/4 |
| 24-07-2010 | HCFCs | 60 litres in 5 cylinders | India | 60 litres of HCFC-22 and R-406 refrigerants found in the passenger compartment of a car. | Goods confiscated and smuggler fined $25 by a court | Annex to UNEP/OzL.Pro.22/INF/4 |
Parties’ reports on illegal trade
| Date | Substances traded | Volume | Exporting country | Details of the illegal ODS trade | Action taken | Remarks |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 15-05-1029 | R12 but trade as R134a, in a R134a cylinder | 2 cylinder of 13.4kg | Cote d'Ivoire (according to re-seller) | The substances in the cylinder is marked as R134a, but after analyzing it, it appear to be R12 | 2 cylinders have been confiscated by the NOU. | The importation is coming from some where else, as Cote d’Ivoire is not producing refrigerant. Investigation is still going on |
Scientific articles
The year is 2065. Nearly two-thirds of Earth's ozone is gone -- not just over the poles, but everywhere. The infamous ozone hole over Antarctica, first discovered in the 1980s, is a year-round fixture, with a twin over the North Pole. The ultraviolet (UV) radiation falling on mid-latitude cities like Washington, D.C., is strong enough to cause sunburn in just five minutes. DNA-mutating UV radiation is up 650 percent, with likely harmful effects on plants, animals and human skin cancer rates. Such is the world we would have inherited if 193 nations had not agreed to ban ozone-depleting substances, according to atmospheric chemists at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Md., Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, and the Netherlands Environmental Assessment Agency, Bilthoven.
Other publications
This brochure brings together information on the issue of methyl bromide with respect to its application for quarantine (and pre-shipment) purposes which is an area of mutual concern to both multilateral agreements. It is hoped that the brochure will assist the Parties to both agreements in their endeavour to better understand and address those matters.
Energy efficiency
The Ozone Secretariat has prepared three briefing notes to support parts A, B and C of the 9–10 July 2018 Vienna workshop on energy efficiency opportunities in the context of phasing-down hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs). This briefing note, intended for part A, provides an overview of energy and carbon related issues, looking in particular at ...