|
During the first week of May the Secretariat joined about forty other members in Buenos Aires to attend the 30th AGA of IFSMA. This was a most successful event and our hosts the Centro do Capitanes de Ultramar y Officiales de la Marina Mercante treated us royally.
At the conference there was concern that some members were not fully aware of the work that was carried out by the Secretariat in London. To try to put this right and to add some immediacy to conveying the information between the quarterly newsletters, I intend to publish over the web a monthly log book to highlight the key activities that have kept the secretariat occupied.
On our return from Argentina the rest of May was dominated by the Maritime Safety Committee (MSC78) at IMO. There was a heavy work programme with two very important working groups in addition to the plenary session. The Secretariat was ably assisted by the attendance of Bjorn Haave and Eddie Agbakobe.
The first Working Group was Large Passenger Ship Safety. A number of issues were debated regarding ship survivability based on the concept that the ship is its own best lifeboat and should have sufficient means to return to a port in the event of an emergency. One key issue raised by IFSMA was the lack of standardisation on the training of Crowd and Crisis Management. Some Administrations approve of a one day course which in IFSMA’s opinion is insufficient. It was pointed out that research in the EU had concluded that a 37 hour course was required to cover the basic requirements of crisis management.
The second Working Group concerned Security. IFSMA was particularly concerned with two issues here. Firstly there was the issue of the designation of the Master as Ship Security Officer. Whilst the case against this practice was strongly challenged by IFSMA and others, MSC endorsed the decision of the Flag State Implementation sub-committee that Administrations could accept the Master as the designated Ship Security officer. The other important debate was the treatment of seafarers by some administrations who prevented shore leave. The committee acknowledged the need for a proper balance between security and human rights.
Other interesting discussions during MSC 78 related to bulk carrier safety. There were two conflicting arguments being hotly debated. The Greek position was against the need for double hulled bulkers. On the other hand the UK delegation argued in favour of double hulled vessels. Both delegations offered excellent DVD or video presentations explaining their reasons, but I am still not convinced which side is correct. The UK’s argument would certainly offer strengthened hulls, but as the Greek delegation pointed out, inspection and maintenance in the void spaces becomes a serious issue as the ship ages.
It was interesting therefore that the concept of Goal-based new ship construction standards were discussed in detail. IACS explained their role in this concept and it was emphasised by all parties that IMO would not take over the role of classification societies. IMO’s role would be to state what has to be achieved and set internationally accepted standards.
IFSMA also attended the Joint User working group at Trinity House. The most important topic discussed from IFSMA’s point of view is the UK’s intention to install a proliferation of wind farms in or adjacent to shipping lanes. One example is on the approaches to Liverpool where it is estimated the wind farms will add an extra one hours steaming between Liverpool and Belfast. Apart from the hazard to navigation they create, the additional fuel costs cannot be cost effective against any environmental gains achieved from these expensive installations. Although this is a particular UK debate I should be interested to hear if any other country has similar problems.
Also discussed at Trinity House was the feasibility of improving wreck marking by installing bright yellow or blue lights in wreck buoys. This follows the Tricolor incident where two vessels struck the wreck. It is believed that the OOW may have been confused by the cardinal marks and the various lights in the vicinity. Any views or comments would be most welcome.
Rodger MacDonald
Secretary General
|
|
|
