American Club advises seafarers on environment protection
The American P&I Club has launched the first in a series of web-based e-learning modules designed to help seafarers protect the marine environment by familiarising them with the six annexes to the MARPOL Convention Produced in co-operation with IDESS Interactive Technologies Inc based in the Philippines, the modules are focused on the practical application of the MARPOL Convention onboard ship. They can be used anywhere there is a connection to the internet, allowing seafarers to study them before joining their vessels.
According to the club, the system includes a secure online testing facility so that its members can track their seafarers knowledge and keep up-to-date records of familiarisation training in compliance with both the STCW Convention and the companys safety management system requirements under the ISM Code.
The series is divided into six installments corresponding to the six annexes of MARPOL 73/78, covering oil pollution, noxious liquid substances, noxious substances in packaged form, sewage, garbage and air pollution. The remaining installments covering Annexes ll, lll, lV, V and Vl will be available at a later stage.
William H. Moore, senior vice president of manager Shipowners Claims Bureau Inc in New York, said: At a time when the Deepwater Horizon disaster is focusing world attention on pollution of the seas, we are introducing this Clean Seas: Complying with MARPOL 73/78 module which has been developed partly as a response to the pervasive concerns of the international community about protecting the marine environment. Although claims arising from environmental damage have reduced in frequency in recent years, the cost of individual claims has not diminished.
Dr Moore said the potential for owners and their crews to have criminal and civil suits brought against them had increased in many global jurisdictions and he believed the MARPOL training tool was the clubs most significant loss prevention product to date, addressing a problem that was a global concern where environmental protection was concerned.
This tool is for training the seafarer and making him aware of the current relevant global regulations, said Dr Moore. The place we have started is the most fundamental of IMO instruments in MARPOL and, in particular, Annex l prevention of pollution by oil.
Source:theamerican club
