On 17 March 2022, Kenya ratified the 2012 Cape Town Agreement and the International Convention on Standards of Training, Certification and Watchkeeping for Fishing Vessel Personnel (STCW-F).
The 2012 Cape Town Agreement (CTA) brings in mandatory safety requirements for fishing vessels when it enters into force. The STCW-F, which is already in force, sets out mandatory standards relating to training, certification and watchkeeping of Fishing Vessel Personnel.
At the moment, Kenya is the 17th country to become a Contracting State to the CTA, which will enter into force 12 months after at least 22 States, with an aggregate 3,600 fishing vessels meeting the length requirements operating on the high seas, must express their consent to be bound by it.
According to IMO, the CTA will apply to fishing vessels of 24 meters in length and over. It includes provisions addressing stability and associated seaworthiness, machinery and electrical installations, life-saving appliances, communications equipment and fire protection, as well as fishing vessel construction.
Currently, there 17 Contracting States to the CTA with approximately 2,000 qualifying fishing vessels.
These are the following:
Belgium, Congo, Cook Islands, Croatia, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Iceland, Kenya, The Netherlands, Norway, Peru, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Sao Tome and Principe, South Africa and Spain.
With the latest ratification, the STCW-F now has 34 contracting parties.
