December 2004
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All our thoughts are with those affected and involved with the Boxing Day Indian Ocean tsunami tragedy. We are pleased to learn that through the IMO our industry will lend its weight to support the massive job of repairing long-term damage and restoring battered infrastructures. We applaud the leadership of IMO Secretary-General Efthimios E. Mitropoulos, in co-ordinating efforts to attend to the maritime infrastructure in the affected regions and in his decision to establish the "Tsunami Maritime Relief Fund" through which the shipping industry's direct financial and in-kind aid for the victims of the disaster might be co-ordinated. IFSMA will be making a donation on behalf of its members to this fund. During December IFSMA members attended the 79th session of the Maritime Safety Committee at IMO. Maritime Safety Committee – 79th session: 1-10 December 2004 The key issues considered by the Committee of interest to IFSMA included Goal-based construction standards for new ships,, passenger ship safety, the implementation of the maritime security measures, a number of amendments to the SOLAS Convention, including a revised chapter on bulk carrier safety and amendments to make mandatory the carriage of simplified voyage data recorders on existing cargo ships. The MSC also adopted a number of ships' routeing measures and a new mandatory ship reporting system - WETREP - in the Western European Waters Particularly Sensitive Sea Area. Goal-based construction standards for new ships. The MSC agreed, in general, that work on goal-based new ship construction standards would be based on the premise that the standards should be broad, over-arching goals against which ship safety should be verified at design and construction stages and during ship operation. They are not intended to set prescriptive requirements or to give specific solutions. The main objective is to introduce a system whereby the standards would be a measure against which the safety of a ship could be assessed during its design and construction, as well as later on during its operation The Working Group on goal-based new ship construction standards agreed in principle a five-tier approach to further development of the basic principles. Its work plan includes the further development of the first three tiers on which the standard setting process would be based: Tier I (Goals), Tier II (Functional requirements) and Tier III (Verification of compliance criteria). It was agreed that Tiers IV (Technical procedures and guidelines, classification rules and industry standards) and V (Codes of practice and safety and quality systems for shipbuilding, ship operation, maintenance, training, manning, etc.) would be developed by classification societies, other recognized organizations and industry organizations. The work plan also includes an item to explore the linkage between Formal Safety Assessment (FSA) and goal-based standards and an item on how goal-based standards could be incorporated in the appropriate IMO instruments. The Working Group developed Tier I goals, along with working descriptions, which address safety and environmental friendliness with respect to structural integrity and strength, dismantling and recycling and the need for design and construction to provide for safe access, inspection and proper maintenance. They include provisions regarding operating and environmental conditions and specified design life. The group also developed Tier II functional requirements, each with a working description. The Group recognized that the development of Tier I goals and Tier II functional requirements is an iterative process. Therefore, while development of Tier I leads to the development of Tier II, the results of the development of Tier II will lead to further consideration and development of Tier I. Both the Tier I goals and the Tier II functional requirements will be subject to further consideration. Maritime security The Working Group on Maritime Security was re-established to consider issues relating to the implementation of the special measures to enhance maritime security which were adopted by the Organization in 2002 and entered into force on 1 July 2004. Following their development by the Working Group, the MSC approved the following MSC circulars:
Maritime security - AIS ship data In relation to the issue of freely available automatic information system (AIS)-generated ship data on the world-wide web, the MSC agreed that the publication on the world-wide web or elsewhere of AIS data transmitted by ships could be detrimental to the safety and security of ships and port facilities and was undermining the efforts of the Organization and its Member States to enhance the safety of navigation and security in the international maritime transport sector. The Committee condemned the regrettable publication on the world-wide web, or elsewhere, of AIS data transmitted by ships and urged Member Governments, subject to the provisions of their national laws, to discourage those who make available AIS data to others for publication on the world-wide web, or elsewhere from doing so. Piracy and armed robbery against ships The Committee noted that the number of acts of piracy and armed robbery against ships reported to have occurred during the first nine months of 2004 was 252, a decrease of 28% over the figure for the first nine months of 2003. However, the Committee noted with concern the reported increase in the level of violence used during attacks on ships and urged all Governments and the industry to intensify and co-ordinate their efforts to eradicate these unlawful acts. In many of the reports received, the crews were violently attacked by groups of five to ten people carrying knives or guns. The Committee was particularly concerned to note that that 30 crew members and passengers were reportedly killed, 94 were injured and 113 were taken hostage. Amongst those confirmed as still missing and unaccounted for to date were 36 crew members including 17 crew members thrown overboard in the reported incidents. Passenger ship safety The MSC agreed that as many of the issues discussed under the agenda item "Large Passenger Ship Safety" applied equally to all passenger ships, the agenda item should be renamed "Passenger Ship Safety". The Committee approved a revised work plan for passenger ship safety and the revised guiding philosophy, strategic goals and objectives, developed by the Working Group on Large Passenger Ship Safety which met during the session. Bulk carrier safety The MSC adopted a new text for SOLAS chapter XII (Additional safety measures for bulk carriers), incorporating revisions to some regulations and new requirements relating to double-side skin bulk carriers. The amendments include the addition of a new regulation 14 on restrictions from sailing with any hold empty and requirements for double-side skin construction as an optional alternative to single-side skin construction. The option of double-side skin construction will apply to new bulk carriers of 150m in length and over, carrying solid bulk cargoes having a density of 1,000 kg/m3 and above. The amendments are expected to enter into force on 1 July 2006. The MSC also adopted standards and criteria for side structures of bulk carriers of single-side skin construction and standards for owners' inspections and maintenance of bulk carrier hatch covers. Free-fall lifeboats on bulk carriers The MSC adopted an amendment to regulation 31 in SOLAS chapter III (Life-saving appliances and arrangements) to make mandatory the carriage of free-fall lifeboats on bulk carriers. Simplified Voyage Data Recorders - SOLAS amendments The MSC adopted amendments to regulation 20 of SOLAS chapter V (Safety of Navigation) on a phased-in carriage requirement for a shipborne simplified voyage data recorder (S-VDR). The regulation requires a VDR, which may be an S-VDR, to be fitted on existing cargo ships of 3,000 gross tonnage and upwards, phasing in the requirement for cargo ships of 20,000 gross tonnage and upwards first, to be followed by cargo ships of 3,000 gross tonnage and upwards. The S-VDR is not required to store the same level of detailed data as a standard VDR, but nonetheless should maintain a store, in a secure and retrievable form, of information concerning the position, movement, physical status, command and control of a vessel over the period leading up to and following an incident. Pilotage in Torres Strait The Committee agreed that Australia and Papua New Guinea's proposal to extend the associated protective measure of a system of pilotage within the Great Barrier Reef to the Torres Strait should be adopted. The proposed MEPC resolution (to be considered by MEPC 53 in 2005) would recommend that Governments inform ships flying their flag that they should act in accordance with Australia's system of pilotage for merchant ships 70 m in length and over or oil tankers, chemical tankers and gas carriers, irrespective of size, when navigating the inner route of the Great Barrier Reef and the Torres Strait. Other amendments adopted The MSC adopted the following amendments with an expected entry into force date of 1 July 2006 (except for IBC and IGC Codes - which have an effective date of 1 January 2007). - SOLAS chapter II-1 regulation 18 Construction and initial tests of watertight doors, sidescuttles, etc., in passenger ships and cargo ships to allow testing of watertight doors with a prototype pressure test in certain circumstances. Also regulation 45 - Precautions against shock, fire and other hazards of electrical origin to replace the existing paragraph 10 and the addition of a new paragraph 11 in order to control the installation of electrical equipment in spaces where flammable mixtures are likely to collect and in hazardous locations on tankers. - SOLAS chapter V regulation 19 Carriage requirements for shipborne navigational systems and equipment to add the words "being clearly readable by the helmsman at the main steering position" in paragraph 2.5 relating to carriage of a gyro compass, or other means to determine and display heading by shipborne non-magnetic means. - SOLAS chapter VII regulation 10 to delete the superfluous words "For the purpose of this regulation, the requirements of the Code shall be treated as mandatory." - SOLAS chapter V - addition of Simplified Voyage Data Recorder (S-VDR) to the Record of Equipment for the Cargo Ship Safety Equipment Certificate (Form E). - International Code for Application of Fire Test Procedures (FTP Code) in Part 2 - Smoke and toxicity test - the addition of "(200 ppm for floor coverings)" in the table of limits in 2.6 Classification criteria, 2.6.2 Toxicity. - International Code of Safety for High-Speed Craft, 2000 (2000 HSC Code) relating to buoyant spaces in Chapter 2 - Buoyancy, stability and subdivision. - International Code for the Construction and Equipment of Ships Carrying Dangerous Chemicals in Bulk (IBC Code) (entry into force date of 1 January 2007). - International Code for the Construction and Equipment of Ships Carrying Liquefied Gases in Bulk (IGC Code) - to reflect the draft amendments to SOLAS chapter II-1 Regulation 45 - Precautions against shock, fire and other hazards of electrical origin. (entry into force date of 1 January 2007). - STCW Code - amendments to Table A-VI/2-1 - Specifications of minimum standards of competence in survival crafts and rescue boats other than fast rescue boats. Adoption of ships' routeing measures The MSC adopted the following ships' routeing measures, with entry into force set for 1 July 2005 at 0000 hours UTC. New traffic separation schemes (TSSs)
Amendments to existing TSSs
Routeing measures other than TSSs
As it can be seen, it was a very industrious committee meeting and the Secretary General would like to thank all those members who attended. Rodger MacDonald |
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