Summary of the 92nd session of the IMO Maritime Safety Committee on Regulatory issues
MSC 92 was held in London from 12 to 21 June 2013 with Deputy Director General of the Danish Maritime Authority Christian Breinholt as Chairman of the Committee.
The Committee went through the following Regulatory Issues:
The Committee procedures for implementing amendments to the SOLAS Convention
Inter alia because amendments had been adopted to the SOLAS Convention that gave rise to doubt about the application hereof on new and existing ships, the Committee had initiated work with a view to assessing whether existing procedures for the implementation of amendments could be improved.
At the meeting, it was agreed to consider the possibilities of implementing amendments to the SOLAS Convention every fourth year and to ensure that, when phrasing new regulations in connection with their adoption, there was no doubt about their application to new and existing ships.
The Committee established a correspondence group that is to draw up a proposal for amended guidelines on the drafting of SOLAS provisions until the next Committee session.
New regulations
The Committee adopted amendments to SOLAS regulation III/19 as well as amendments to the HSC and MODU Codes on mandatory training and drills during enclosed space entry.
The Committee also adopted amendments to SOLAS regulation XI-1/1 as well as the associated Code, also known as the RO Code, stipulating quality standards in connection with member States’ delegation of surveys to the classification societies. In addition, amendments were adopted to the International Convention for Safe Containers (CSC) as well as amendments to the IMSBC Code, where especially the amendments related to the carriage of ore cargoes containing nickel deserve to be highlighted.
The ISM Code
Furthermore, the Committee adopted amendments to the ISM Code. The background was a proposal that Denmark had drawn up in close cooperation with the other EU member States with the overall purpose of stressing the company’s responsibility for assessing whether the crew was sufficient in relation to the ship’s operation and clarifying the company’s responsibility for ensuring that ISM related tasks that are delegated out to sub-suppliers meet the safety standards of the ISM Code.
Coming regulations
With a view to adoption at the next meeting, the Committee approved a number of amendments concerning requirements for inert gas on new oil and chemical tankers of 8,000 tonnes deadweight, a new SOLAS regu-lation II-2/20 on safety regulations when carrying cars using natural gas as fuel as well as amendments to the STCW Convention in connection with the so-called IMO audit which it is to be made mandatory for all member States to be subjected to.
Furthermore, the Committee approved a requirement for periodic servicing and maintenance of lifeboats and associated amendments to the SOLAS Convention, amendments to SOLAS regulation II-2/3 and regulation II-2/9.7 on fire safety in ventilation shafts as well as amendments to SOLAS regulation II-2/10 on fire safety in connection with cargoes carried on the weather deck. Finally, the Committee approved amendments to the International Code for the Construction and Equipment of Ships Carrying Liquefied Gases in Bulk (IGC Code).
The new regulations are to be adopted at the next session of the Committee before they can take effect.
Source: DMA