A summary on monthly activities from the IFSMA Office.
April to June 2009
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The IFSMA Annual General Assembly was held on the 6th and 7th May 2009 and the papers and resolutions are promulgated on our web site. IFSMA attended the Maritime Safety Committee (MSC), 86th session: 27 May - 5 June 2009 Piracy The revised guidance on combating piracy and armed robbery against ships was agreed by IMO's Maritime Safety Committee (MSC) The MSC reviewed the latest statistics on piracy and armed robbery against ships, in particular off the coast of Somalia and in the Gulf of Aden, where ships continue to be attacked and hijacked, despite the concerted efforts of the international community, spearheaded by IMO, navies and the industry, to protect shipping. The number of acts of piracy and armed robbery against ships reported to the Organization to have occurred in 2008 was 306, against 282 during 2007, representing an increase of 8.5 per cent. In the first four months of 2009, 157 incidents were reported to IMO. The MSC agreed to updated Recommendations to Governments for preventing and suppressing piracy and armed robbery against ships; and Guidance to shipowners and ship operators, shipmasters and crews on preventing and suppressing acts of piracy and armed robbery against ships. The guidance to shipmasters and crew includes a new annex aimed at seafarers, fishermen and other mariners who may be kidnapped or held hostage for ransom, based on the current United Nations guidance on "surviving as a hostage". An MSC circular on Piracy and armed robbery against ships in waters off the coast of Somalia was agreed, to include Best Management Practices to Deter Piracy in the Gulf of Aden and off the Coast of Somalia, which have been developed by industry organizations, and additional guidance to vessels engaged in fishing, identified as being particularly vulnerable to attack. The MSC agreed that flag States should strongly discourage the carrying and use of firearms by seafarers for personal protection or for the protection of a ship. Seafarers, it was agreed, are civilians and the use of firearms requires special training and aptitudes and the risk of accidents with firearms carried on board ship is great. Carriage of arms on board ship may encourage attackers to carry firearms or even more dangerous weapons, thereby escalating an already dangerous situation. Any firearm on board may itself become an attractive target for an attacker. Carriage of firearms may pose an even greater danger if the ship is carrying flammable cargo or similar types of dangerous goods. It was agreed that the use of unarmed security personnel is a matter for individual shipowners, companies, and ship operators to decide. The carriage of armed security personnel, or the use of military or law-enforcement officers (duly authorized by the Government of the flag State to carry firearms for the security of the ship) should be subject to flag State legislation and policies and is a matter for the flag State to authorize, in consultation with ship owners, companies and ship operators. ECDIS and BNWAS to be made mandatory under SOLAS Amendments to SOLAS regulation V/19, to make mandatory the carriage of Electronic Chart Display and Information Systems (ECDIS) and Bridge Navigational Watch Alarm Systems (BNWAS), under SOLAS chapter V, Safety of Navigation, were adopted, with an expected entry into force date of 1 January 2011. The requirements will be mandatory for new ships and phased-in for existing ships. Goal-based new ship construction standards The MSC approved international goal-based ship construction standards for bulk carriers and oil tankers, together with proposed amendments to SOLAS Chapter II-1 making their application mandatory, for consideration at MSC 87 with a view to adoption Comprehensive review of the STCW Convention and Code The MSC approved, in principle, the preliminary draft revised text of the International Convention on Standards of Training, Certification and Watchkeeping for Seafarers (STCW) 1978, as amended, and the STCW Code, prepared by the Sub-Committee on Standards of Training and Watchkeeping (STW). The Committee authorized the holding of an ad hoc intersessional meeting of an STW working group, from 7 to 11 September 2009, to progress the work, with a view to finalization at STW 41 in January 2010. STW 41 would then finalize the draft text of amendments to the STCW Convention and Code, with a view to their circulation for consideration by a Diplomatic Conference, scheduled for mid-2010. IFSMA’s participation in the United Nations 10th meeting of the UN Open-ended Informal Consultative Process on Oceans and the Law of the Sea The IFSMA Secretary General and Captain George Previll of the Council of American Master Mariners attended the tenth meeting of the UN Open-ended Informal Consultative Process on Oceans and the Law of the Sea which took place from 17-19 June 2009, at UN Headquarters in New York. The meeting brought together over 350 representatives from governments, intergovernmental organizations, non-governmental organizations and academic institutions. IFSMA attended the Marine Environment Protection Committee (MEPC), 59th session: 13 -17 July 2009 Amendments to the MARPOL Convention to prevent pollution during ship-to-ship oil transfer operations were adopted by the Marine Environment Protection Committee (MEPC). The Committee adopted amendments to MARPOL relating to the on-board management of oil residue (sludge); approved, with a view to future adoption, proposed draft amendments to MARPOL to prohibit carriage or use of heavy grade oil in the Antarctic area; agreed, in principle, a proposal to designate specific portions of the coastal waters of the United States and Canada as an emission control area; and agreed guidelines relating to the implementation of MARPOL Annex VI, the ship recycling Convention and the Ballast Water Management Convention. Greenhouse gas emissions from ships The Marine Environment Protection Committee (MEPC) of the International Maritime Organization (IMO) agreed to disseminate a package of interim and voluntary technical and operational measures to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from international shipping; and also agreed a work plan for further consideration, at future meetings, of proposed market-based instruments to provide incentives for the shipping industry. The agreed measures are intended to be used for trial purposes until the Committee's sixtieth session (MEPC 60) in March 2010, when they will be refined, as necessary, with a view to facilitating decisions on their scope of application and enactment. The measures include: interim guidelines on the method of calculation, and voluntary verification, of the Energy Efficiency Design Index for new ships, which is intended to stimulate innovation and technical development of all the elements influencing the energy efficiency of a ship from its design phase; and guidance on the development of a Ship Energy Efficiency Management Plan, for new and existing ships, which incorporates best practices for the fuel efficient operation of ships; as well as guidelines for voluntary use of the Ship Energy Efficiency Operational Indicator for new and existing ships, which enables operators to measure the fuel efficiency of a ship. Greenhouse gas study 2009 The MEPC was assisted in its deliberations by the outcome of the Second IMO GHG Study on greenhouse gas emissions from ships, 2009, which is the most comprehensive and authoritative assessment of greenhouse gas emissions from ships engaged in international trade. The Study estimated that ships engaged in international trade in 2007 contributed about 2.7 per cent of the world's anthropogenic CO2 emissions and also states that emission reductions are feasible through technical and operational measures as well as through the introduction of market-based reduction mechanisms. In the absence of global policies to control greenhouse gas emissions from international shipping, the emissions may increase by between 150 and 250 percent by the year 2050 due to the expected continued growth in international seaborne trade. MARPOL amendments - transfer of oil cargo between oil tankers at sea The new chapter 8 on Prevention of pollution during transfer of oil cargo between oil tankers at sea will apply to oil tankers of 150 gross tonnage and above and will require any oil tanker involved in oil cargo STS operations to have, on board, a plan prescribing how to conduct STS operations (the STS Plan), which would be approved by its Administration. Notification to the relevant coastal State will be required not less than 48 hours in advance of the scheduled STS operations although some relaxation to this rule is allowed in certain, very specific, cases. The regulations are not intended to apply to bunkering operations. Consequential amendments to the International Oil Pollution Prevention (IOPP) Certificate, the Supplement to the IOPP Certificate and the Oil Record Book were also adopted. Oil residue (sludge) MARPOL amendments Amendments to MARPOL Annex I regulations 1, 12, 13, 17 and 38, relating to the on board management of oil residue (sludge), were also adopted. The amendments clarify long standing requirements and remove existing ambiguities in order to facilitate compliance by ships' crews. Definitions for oil residue (sludge), oil residue (sludge) tanks, oily bilge water and oily bilge water holding tanks are introduced for the first time. Related amendments to the Supplement to the IOPP Certificate, Form A and Form B, and to the Oil Record Book were also adopted. The amendments are expected to enter into force on 1 January 2011. ECA proposal approved The MEPC approved a proposal to designate specific portions of the coastal waters of the United States and Canada as an Emission Control Area (ECA). The ECA would be for the control of emissions of nitrogen oxides (NOx), sulphur oxides (SOx), and particulate matter, under the revised MARPOL Annex VI Prevention of Air Pollution from Ships, which was adopted in October 2008 and is expected to come into force on 1 July 2010. Currently, the revised Annex lists two areas for the control of SOx emissions: the Baltic Sea area and the North Sea, which includes the English Channel. Implementation of the BWM Convention The MEPC approved Guidance to ensure safe handling and storage of chemicals used to treat ballast water and the development of safety procedures for risks to the ship and crew resulting from the treatment process. This Guidance is intended to assist with the implementation of the International Convention for the Control and Management of Ships' Ballast Water and Sediments (BWM Convention), adopted in 2004. The MEPC also agreed to give "final approval" to four ballast water management systems that make use of active substances and "basic approval" to three such systems. The Ballast Water Review Group met during MEPC 59 to consider the status of ballast water technologies. Following its discussions, the Committee noted that the number of ballast water treatment technologies amounted to six Type Approved systems with four additional systems being granted Final Approval at this session. The Committee noted further that the installation of ballast water management systems may require extensive design consideration such as physical and technical feasibility, modification of ships’ designs and sufficient lead time necessary for these modifications. Adverse impact of ship noise on marine life The report of a correspondence group on Noise from commercial shipping and its adverse impact on marine life was considered, and the MEPC agreed to re-establish the correspondence group to continue its work on the future development of voluntary technical guidelines for ship quieting technologies. Harmful anti-fouling systems for ships - best practices agreed The MEPC agreed to disseminate, via a circular, Guidance on best management practices for removal of anti fouling coatings from ships, including TBT hull paints, which was developed by the Scientific Groups under the Convention on the Prevention of Marine Pollution by Dumping of Wastes and Other Matter, 1972 (London Convention) and its 1996 Protocol (London Protocol). The International Convention on the Control of Harmful Anti-Fouling Systems on Ships, 2001, entered into force in September 2008 and requires ships to either replace, or over-coat, any existing organotin-based anti fouling systems. Joint MSC/MEPC Working Group on the Human Element The Joint MSC/MEPC Working Group on the Human Element met during MEPC 59 to consider human element issues. The MEPC agreed proposed draft amendments to the Revised Guidelines on implementation of the International Safety Management (ISM) Code, for submission to the IMO Assembly's 26th session in November-December 2009, for adoption.
Rodger MacDonald
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