Tag: IMO

90th SESSION 16 18 and 21 - 25 May 2012 The IMO's Sub-Committee on Maritime Safety (MSC) held its 90th session from Wednesday 16 through Friday 25 May 2012 under the Chairmanship of Mr Christian Breinholt (DENMARK). A Drafting Group of Amendments to Mandatory Instruments and three Working Groups were convened on:(1) Passenger Ship Safety(2) Goal-based Standards and Formal Safety Assessment, and(3) Measure to enhance Maritime Security and PiracyPrior to sending out the Working Groups, the Committee (in Plenary) engaged in a long debate which was reinforced by high-level (Ministerial/Ambassadorial) participation from governments on the issue of privately contracted armed security personnel (PCASP) on board ships. Three main issues were addressed in the high level debate:1. Guidance and standards for private maritime security companies (PMSC) providing PCASP2. Issues related to PCASP of concern to littoral states, and3. Guidelines on the use of firearms.It was agreed that:the carriage of firearms by seafarers should continue to be strongly discouraged;the use of PCASP is an exceptional measure to be used only in exceptional circumstances in a high-risk area and that use of armed personnel on board ships should not become institutionalised;following a thorough risk assessment exercise and consultations with the shipowner concerned, the ...

MSC 90 outcome Recommended interim measures aimed at enhancing the safety of passenger ships, in the wake of the Costa Concordia incident in January, were agreed by IMO's Maritime Safety Committee (MSC), when it met at the Organization's London Headquarters for its 90th session from 16 to 25 May 2012.The MSC adopted a resolution, which invites Member States to recommend that passenger ship companies conduct a review of operational safety measures, to ships flying their flag, on a voluntary basis and "with all possible urgency and efficiency", taking into consideration the recommended interim operational measures listed in an MSC circular.The recommended interim measures include:carrying additional lifejackets, to be readily accessible in public spaces, at the muster/assembly stations, on deck or in lifeboats, so that in the event of an emergency passengers need not return to their cabins to retrieve the lifejacket stored there;reviewing the adequacy of the dissemination and communication of the emergency instructions on board ships;carrying out the muster for embarking passengers prior to departure from every port of embarkation, if the duration is 24 hours or more;limiting access to the bridge to those with operational or operationally related functions, during any period of restricted manoeuvring, or while manoeuvring ...

IMO supports an ISO standard for the use of armed guards The International Maritime Organization, IMO, is underway with a requirement that private security firms continue to be ISO certified.It seems to be the result of the efforts of IMO's efforts to clean up the market for private security companies selling protection to piracy threatened merchant ships in the area off Somalia.Pirates' criminal activities have meant that the number of private security firms have grown over the past year. This has led to a situation where individual companies are responsible for the security of crews, ships and cargoes."We obviously support IMO's thoughts on an ISO standard. It is gratifying that the international community takes hold on this and moves quickly, rather than that the individual country authorities would have to make their own certification schemes," says Deputy Director of the Danish Shipowners' Association, Jan Fritz Hansen.Source: The Danish Maritime Magazine

MSC 90 outcome Interim guidance to private maritime security companies (PMSCs) was agreed by IMO's Maritime Safety Committee (MSC), when it met at the Organization's London Headquarters for its 90th session from 16 to 25 May 2012.A special high-level segment of the MSC saw an intense debate, over the first day and a half of the Committee's session (See Briefing 16/2012), on how the international community should deal with issues related to the deployment of privately contracted armed security personnel (PCASP) on board ships and the carriage of arms on board.Following further debate during a working group, the MSC agreed Interim Guidance to private maritime security companies (PMSC) providing contracted armed security personnel on board ships in the High Risk Area. The guidance covers:PMSC Professional Certification, including the recommendation that PMSC should seek certification with relevant national and international private maritime security service standards when these are established;PMSC Company requirements, including the recommendation that PMSC should establish procedures to provide maritime security services to ship owners and ship operators and comply with all relevant legal requirements;Management, including recommendations on selection, vetting and training of personnel for a PCASP team;Deployment considerations, addressing the specific aspects of PCASP deployment and the role ...

Ambassador Enrique A. Manalo addresses the Ministerial-level meeting on combating piracy at IMO The Philippine Embassy in London reported to the Department of Foreign Affairs that Philippine Permanent Representative to the International Maritime Organization (IMO), Ambassador Enrique A. Manalo, continued to advocate for better protection of seafarers against pirate attacks off Somalia.In a Ministerial-level meeting to open the 90th Session of IMO's Maritime Safety Committee, the Organization's primary governing body, Ambassador Manalo called on ship owners and the governments whose flag their ships fly to assume the responsibility of ensuring a safe working environment for seafarers, especially when their vessels traverse the dangerous waters off Somalia where pirate attacks have increased in recent years.Ambassador Manalo said: "The Philippine Government ensures that Filipino seafarers are competent and fully qualified. The duty of the crew is to safely operate the ships which carry 80% of global trade. It is in turn the responsibility of shipping companies and Flag States to protect them from the scourge of piracy as they carry out this duty."The Philippine Government continues to advocate for the implementation of Best Management Practices (BMPs) codified by the commercial shipping sector as the primary defense against pirate attacks. These practices include ...

Maritime Safety Committee (MSC), 90th session, 16 to 25 May 2012 A special high-level segment of IMO's Maritime Safety Committee (MSC), convened by IMO Secretary-General Koji Sekimizu to discuss policy matters related to arms on board ships in the piracy high risk area, has requested a working group of the MSC to develop interim guidance for private maritime security companies (PMSCs).The MSC is meeting for its 90th session at IMO Headquarters from 16 to 25 May, with some 900 delegates registered from IMO member States and observers from international and non-governmental organizations.The instruction to the working group to develop the guidance for PMSCs followed an intense debate on arms on board ships during the high-level segment, held over the first day and a half of the Committee's session, which saw interventions from a number of Ministers, Secretaries of State and other senior Government representatives as well as the UN Assistant Secretary-General for Legal Affairs.In his address to the high-level segment Mr. Sekmizu said:"The carriage of firearms on board merchant ships is a complex legal issue with Member States taking diverse positions. The Committee has determined that the carriage of armed personnel is a matter for flag States to authorize, however ...

Conference on Capacity Building to Counter Piracy off the Coast of Somalia The commitment of the International Maritime Organization (IMO) to combat piracy off the coast of Somalia through boosting capacity building in the region has been underlined with the signing of five strategic partnerships with a number of UN agencies and the EU, following a Conference on Capacity Building to Counter Piracy off the Coast of Somalia, held at IMO Headquarters in London on 15 May 2012.The Conference was attended by some 300 delegates from States as well as a number of organizations. It saw presentations on capacity building as a mechanism to tackle the piracy issue, focusing on matters such as building maritime infrastructure and law enforcement capacity and the implementation of the Code of Conduct for the Repression of Piracy and Armed Robbery against Ships in the Gulf of Aden and the Western Indian Ocean (Djibouti Code of Conduct), which had been the subject of a Ministerial meeting held at IMO on 14 May, also at IMO.The Ministerial meeting was attended by Ministers, Ambassadors and senior officials of the States participating in the Djibouti Code of Conduct, as well as representatives of the donor States to the ...

On 25 June 2012 - Learn how you may help 25 June of each year is the "Day of the Seafarer", recognizing the invaluable contribution seafarers make to international trade and the world economy, often at great personal cost to themselves and their families.Governments, shipping organizations, companies, shipowners and all other parties concerned are invited to promote and celebrate the Day in an appropriate and meaningful manner.The Day of the Seafarer was first celebrated in 2011, following its establishment by a resolution adopted by the Conference of Parties to the International Convention on Standards of Training, Certification and Watchkeeping for Seafarers (STCW), 1978, held in Manila, Philippines, in June 2010, which adopted major revisions to the STCW Convention and Code.The Day of the Seafarer has now been included in the annual list of United Nations Observances.This year, the concept consist of using the phrase: It came by the sea and I can't live without it, asking people around the world to share and show something that came by sea and for which they are thankful for. We invite participants to download the toolkits available here and join the campaign on Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest and Youtube.Learn how you can support the ...

​Code of Conduct concerning the Repression of Piracy and Armed Robbery The Code of Conduct concerning the Repression of Piracy and Armed Robbery against Ships in the Western Indian Ocean and the Gulf of Aden (Djibouti Code of Conduct) was today (15 May 2012) signed on behalf of South Africa by the South African High Commissioner, His Excellency Dr. Zola Skweyiya, who was attending an IMO Conference on Capacity Building to Counter Piracy off the Coast of Somalia (on Tuesday, 15 May).South Africa has become the 19th State to sign the Code of Conduct, set up by IMO to develop regional capacity to counter piracy in the Gulf of Aden and Western Indian Ocean. The other signatories are: the Comoros, Djibouti, Egypt, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Jordan, Kenya, Madagascar, Maldives, Mauritius, Oman, Saudi Arabia, Seychelles, Somalia, the Sudan, the United Arab Emirates, the United Republic of Tanzania and Yemen.Signatories to the Djibouti Code of Conduct, which has been in effect since 29 January 2009, undertake to co-operate in a variety of activities, including:the investigation, arrest and prosecution of persons reasonably suspected of having committed acts of piracy and armed robbery against ships, including those inciting or intentionally facilitating such acts;the interdiction and ...

IMO Maritime Environment Protection Committee 63 outcome Singapore MPA issued a circular regarding Resolutions adopted during the 63rd session of the IMO Maritime Environment Protection Committee (MEPC 63).The mandatory resolutions include the following:a. Resolution MEPC.216(63) - Amendments to Annexes I, II, IV and V ofMARPOL 73/78 (Regional arrangements for port reception facilities underMARPOL Annexes I, II, IV and V) (applicable from 1 Aug 2013);The amendments provide for regional arrangements for Small Island Developing States (SIDS) when, because of these States' unique circumstances, such arrangements are the only practical means to satisfy the respective requirements of MARPOL Annexes I, II, IV and V. Partiesparticipating in a regional arrangement shall develop a Regional ReceptionFacilities Plan, taking into account the guidelines developed by theOrganization.b. Resolution MEPC.217(63) - Amendments to Annex VI of MARPOL 73/78(Regional arrangements for port reception facilities under MARPOL AnnexVI and certification of marine diesel engines fitted with selective catalyticreduction systems under the NOx Technical Code 2008) (applicable from1 Aug 2013);The amendments provide for regional arrangements for Small Island Developing States (SIDS) to satisfy the requirements of paragraph 1 ofregulation 17 of the MARPOL Annex VI when, because of these States'unique circumstances, such arrangements are the only practical means tosatisfy these ...