July 2005
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This month your Secretary General represented IFSMA at the Maritime Accident Investigation Board meeting in Southampton. These discussions were held in confidence but some important issues were raised which I will report on when the final findings can be published. IFSMA attended two IMO meetings this month: the Facilitation Committee (FAL), 32nd session: 4-8 July 2005 and the Marine Environment Protection Committee (MEPC), 53rd session: 18-22 July 2005. The key points of interest to IFSMA raised at those meetings were as follows: FAL 32 Some Amendments to the FAL Convention were adopted and these included some important developments:
Persons rescued at sea As amendments to the SOLAS and SAR Conventions are expected to enter into force on 1 July 2006 will place for the first time, obligations on Contracting Governments to "co-ordinate and co-operate" so that assisted survivors are disembarked from the assisting ship and delivered to a place of safety within a reasonable time. The proposed amendment would also require public authorities to facilitate the arrival and departure of ships engaged in the rescue of persons in distress at sea in order to provide a place of safety for such persons. Training shore-side mooring personnel Guidelines have been developed to provide Member Governments, port authorities and the port industry with guidance on recommended training and education for shore-side mooring personnel to assure the shipping industry and the public at large that there is an adequate level of competence available in ports, to enable ships to enter, stay and leave a port safely, secure and efficiently. Decrease in stowaway incidents reported It was pleasing to note the decrease in reported incidents of stowaways since the adoption of the 2002 amendments to the FAL Convention and the entry-into-force on 1 July 2004, of the ISPS Code. The annual statistics of incidents reported to IMO for the years 2003 and 2004 showed that 281 stowaway incidents had occurred (183 in 2003 and 98 in 2004), involving 686 stowaways (476 in 2003 and 210 in 2004). The most affected areas were West Africa (208 stowaways - 43.70% of the total in 2003 and 106 stowaways - 54.48 % of the total in 2004) and the Mediterranean, Black Sea and North Sea (114 stowaways - 23.95% in 2003 and 64 stowaways - 30.48% in 2004). Certificates and documents required to be carried on board ships Following an ICS initiative the Committee agreed to consider whether, in future, access to the information on certificates of ships engaged on international voyages might be facilitated and simplified through the use of modern communication technology, such as access to online databases. As ships are required to carry certain certificates and documents on board for validation when necessary, the Committee agreed that a detailed analysis needed to be carried out to determine which certificates and documents have to be kept on board vessels and which may be retained in electronic format. Careful consideration was also necessary to be given to who could access such electronic documents. Facilitation in avoiding safety threatening conditions The Committee approved a circular on Facilitation in avoiding safety threatening conditions. The Circular notes that the Committee has received reports of a number of incidents wherein public authorities refused or delayed, for various reasons, the movement of material, equipment, fuel and any other supplies to ships essential for their safe operations. Consequently, ships had proceeded to sea in unsafe conditions, often presenting a hazard to other ships and the marine environment. The Committee agreed that public authorities should not unreasonably prevent, except in the case of judicial proceedings, the delivery of essential supplies to a ship. MEPC 53 Amendments to MARPOL Annex VI MEPC adopted amendments to the Regulations for the Prevention of Air Pollution from Ships in MARPOL Annex VI. The entry into force date for the North Sea SECA amendment is expected to be 21 November 2006, with its full implementation 12 months later. MARPOL Annex VI entered into force on 19 May 2005 and sets limits on sulphur oxide (SOx) and nitrogen oxide (NOx) emissions from ship exhausts and prohibits deliberate emissions of ozone-depleting substances. The Annex establishes a global cap of 4.5 percent by mass (% m/m) on the sulphur content of fuel oil. The sulphur content of fuel oil used onboard ships operating in a SECA must not exceed 1.5% m/m or, alternatively, ships must fit an exhaust gas cleaning system or use other methods to limit SOx emissions. The Committee noted information gained from monitoring the worldwide sulphur content in fuel oils for 2004 which gave a three-year (2002-2004) rolling average of sulphur content in fuel oil worldwide of 2.67% m/m. Recycling of ships High priority will be given to a new instrument on recycling of ships with a view to providing legally binding and globally applicable regulations. In its initial consideration of issues related to the development of mandatory requirements on ship recycling the prohibition of the use of certain hazardous materials in the construction and equipment of ships was considered. Particularly Sensitive Sea Areas MEPC agreed to the designation of the following new Particularly Sensitive Sea Areas (PSSAs), which were previously approved in principle:
Ballast water and sediments The Guidelines for uniform implementation of the International Convention for the Control and Management of Ships' Ballast Water and Sediments (BWM Convention), was adopted. These guidelines cover ballast water management equivalent compliance; approval of ballast water management systems; ballast water management and development of ballast water management plans; ballast water exchange and the Procedure for approval of ballast water management systems that make use of Active Substances. It was agreed that the draft Guidelines for approval and oversight of prototype ballast water treatment technology programmes would be considered for adoption at the next session. Approval of ballast water management systems The Committee agreed that a dedicated GESAMP -Ballast Water (GESAMP-BW) Technical Group on Active Substances would be established, when needed, to review any proposals submitted for approval of Ballast Water Management systems that make use of Active Substances. This group would then report to the Organization on whether such a proposal presents unreasonable risk to the environment, human health, property or resources in accordance with the criteria specified in the Procedure for approval of ballast water management systems that make use of Active Substances. The GESAMP-BW Technical Group will be financed through a fee scheme and paid for by the body or industry requesting approval of a ballast water management system using Active Substances. Ship-to-ship oil transfer The Committee agreed to consider the development of amendments to MARPOL to prevent the risk of pollution during oil transfer operations between ships at sea. It agreed to include a high priority item on "amendments to MARPOL Annex I for the Prevention of marine pollution during oil transfer operations between ships at sea" in the work programme of the Sub-committee on Bulk Liquids and Gases (BLG) with a target completion date of 2007. It was recognized that the technical and operational issues pertaining to the potential risk of pollution during ship-to-ship transfer of oil cargoes at sea should take into account the principles of international maritime law, including UNCLOS, and the rights and obligations of coastal and flag States. Port reception facilities MEPC approved a Revised consolidated format for reporting alleged inadequacy of port reception facilities and an MEPC circular on Waste reception facility reporting requirements. The Committee also agreed to develop a port reception facility database (PRFD) as a module of the IMO Global Integrated Shipping Information System (GISIS).
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