Tag: SOLAS

Tribute to the memory of those who lost their lives on that fatal night The IMO Council has endorsed a proposal by IMO Secretary-General Efthimios Mitropoulos to adopt IMO: One hundred years after the Titanic as the World Maritime Day theme for 2012.The time has come for us to return to this Organizations roots and raison dêtre, i.e. safety of life at sea, Mr. Mitropoulos said.One of the consequences of the sinking, in 1912, of the Titanic, in which 1,503 people lost their lives, was the adoption, two years later, of the first International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea (the SOLAS Convention).The 1914 version of the Convention was gradually superseded, respectively, by SOLAS 1929, SOLAS 1948, SOLAS 1960 (the first adopted under the auspices of IMO, then known as IMCO) and SOLAS 1974. SOLAS 1974 is still in force today, amended and updated many times.Mr. Mitropoulos said the selection of the theme proposed would provide an opportunity to:-take stock of improvements in maritime safety during the 100 years since the sinking of the Titanic;-pay tribute to the memory of those, who lost their lives in the freezing waters of the North Atlantic on that fatal night of ...

Pilot Transfer Arrangements Throughresolution MSC.308(88), MSC 88 adopted amendments to SOLAS regulation V/23 relating to pilot transfer arrangements.The background for the replacement of the existing regulation V/23 was a number of accidents that have taken place during pilot transfer. Furthermore, with MSC.1/Circ.1402 IMO encourages Port State Control officers to include inspection of pilot transfer arrangements.The new adopted regulation V/23 reads as follows:1 Application1.1 Ships engaged on voyages in the course of which pilots may be employed shall be provided with pilot transfer arrangements.1.2 Equipment and arrangements for pilot transfer which are installed on or after 1 July 2012 shall comply with the requirements of this regulation, and due regard shall be paid to the standards adopted by the Organization.1.3 Except as provided otherwise, equipment and arrangements for pilot transfer which are provided on ships before 1 July 2012 shall at least comply with the requirements of regulation 17 (Refer to resolution MSC.99(73)) or 23, as applicable, of the International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea, 1974, in force prior to that date, and due regard shall be paid to the standards adopted by the Organization prior to that date.1.4 Equipment and arrangements installed on or after 1 July ...

Aims to combat the continuing problem of piracy UK and US maritime lawyer and maritime author Dr John Cartner is calling on the International Maritime Organisation to enact changes to the Safety at Life at Sea Convention to combat the continuing problem of piracy facing the global merchant fleet by allowing ships to carry armed guards. The governments of Mozambique, Zimbabwe and Botswana have initialled a memorandum of understanding on the implementation of a tripartite project to develop a deep-water port at Techobanine, in Mozambique's southernmost district of Matutuine.

MSC.1 Circular 1393 - Early Application of New SOLAS Regulation 800x600 Normal 0 false false false EL X-NONE X-NONE MicrosoftInternetExplorer4 IMO issued circular MSC.1 Circular 1393 - Early Application of New SOLAS Regulation III/1.5 .In light of the provision of the new SOLAS regulation III/1.5, the Committee agreed that:For ships constructed on or after 1 July 2014, on-load release and retrieval systems shall comply with the LSA Code, as amended by resolution MSC.320(89)Member Governments are encouraged to ensure that ships constructed on or after 20 May 2011 but before 1 July 2014, on-load release and retrieval systems comply with the LSA Code, as amended by resolution MSC.320(89)You can view the MSC.1/ Circular 1393 by clicking here.Source : IMO

The impact of extending security measures to ships Sentinel Maritime has been appointed by the European Commission Directorate-General for Mobility and Transport to study the impact (including the financial consequences) of extending security measures to ships which currently do not fall within the scope of SOLAS Chapter XI/2 and the International Ship and Port Facility Security (ISPS) Code.The Study has been given the name "Project SecureSeas." The study is, in part, a response to the growing concern that such ships may pose as serious or more serious a threat than ships currently within the scope of the ISPS Code. Apart from the terrorist attacks carried out by "non-ISPS" vessels on the "USS Cole" and "MT Limburg", or their use in the attack on Mumbai, "non-ISPS" ships are frequently used in human trafficking as well as smuggling drugs and contraband.As a first step, Sentinel has been tasked to assess the current "state of play" in the EU Member States as far as non-SOLAS ships are concerned. The study will collate information on member state compliance with Article 3.3 of Regulation 725/2004, procedures for registering vessels, the means for reporting security concerns and the numbers and distribution of vessels which could be ...

Amendments to the Required Boarding Arrangements for Pilots The IMO's Maritime Safety Committee, at its eighty-eighth session (MSC 88), (24/11 -3/12 2010), approved amendments to SOLAS Chapter V, Regulation 23 which, inter alia, includes amendments to the Required Boarding Arrangements for Pilots (Resolution MSC.308(88)).The existing Required Boarding Arrangements for Pilot poster will, therefore, become incorrect once the provisions of MSC.308(88) enter into force. This will happen on 1 July 2012.IMPA has prepared a revised poster which reflects the latest changes but has not yet been finalised. The IMO's Sub-committee on Safety of Navigation (NAV) has endorsed IMPA's submission which will be forwarded to MSC for approval.Significant points contained in revised Regulation 23 of SOLAS Chapter V include: 800x600 Normal 0 false false false EL X-NONE X-NONE MicrosoftInternetExplorer4 - The appliances shall be kept clean, properly maintained and stowed, and shall be regularly inspected to ensure that they are safe to use. - A pilot ladder shall be certified by the manufacturer as complying with this regulation, or with an international standard acceptable to the Organization. Ladders shall be inspected in accordance with regulation I/6, 7 & 8.- All pilot ladders used for pilot transfers shall be clearly identified with tags ...

Provides detailed information relative to ladders not up to the SOLAS standard In its report to the IMO's Maritime Safety Committee, the fifty-fifth session of the Sub-committee on Safety of Navigation (NAV 55) had requested the International Maritime Pilots' Association (IMPA) to provide detailed information to the Ship Design and Safety of Navigation Sub-committees, relative to specific ladders their members were asked to climb that were not up to the SOLAS standard.The campaign was run during one week at the end of September 2010, and involved the membership of IMPA, together with colleagues in the European Maritime Pilots' Association.Three years have passed since the last safety campaign was conducted. That campaign was carried out in response to a peak in fatalities to pilots and launch crews in 2006.IMPA has noted a slow decline in the level of defects, which, though still quite high, is at least heading in the right direction.IMPA is optimistic that the inclusion of pilot ladders in the ship's safety equipment inspection regime under the changes to SOLAS Chapter V Regulation 23, proceeding through the 27th IMO Assembly in autumn 2011, will have a profound effect on the standard found in future campaigns/surveys.Click here to view the ...

Aims to comply with newABS and SOLAS requirements Separ Filter is introducing a range of 100% steel construction diesel fuel/water separators which have been specially designed to comply with new American Bureau of Shipping (ABS) and SOLAS requirements.The new ABS rules stipulate that all aluminium fuel oil filters fitted on ABS-classed vessels be replaced with steel filters by the first annual machinery survey scheduled after April 1, 2011. Separ says its steel filters also meet United States Coast Guard requirements.The new Separ SWK 2000 series steel filters feature flow rates ranging from 79 to 2,060 gallons/h (300-7,800 litre/h). The filters are designed for ease of installation, low restriction, and compatibility with bio-diesel fuels, featuring patented five-stage filtration and long-lasting elements. Separ says that no filter stacking is necessary to achieve higher flow rates and the filters are claimed to be the most compact design available.Source: Motorship

Technical Information TEC-0667 by Class NK With regard to the carriage of immersion suits on the Hong Kong flagged ships, ClassNK Technical Information No.TEC-0667 dated 6 July 2006 has been issued.Recently, the Government has notified of the additional instruction of immersion suits for the stored position of the additional liferaft required by SOLAS Reg.III/31.1.4.In response, ClassNK Technical Information No.TEC-0667 paragraph 1 has been modified as follows.(1) At least two immersion suits should be provided in wheel house and engine control room respectively as additional immersion suits. The same number of immersion suits as life-jackets at the wheel house and engine control room are required (i.e. if 3 life-jackets are required at the wheel house then 3 immersion suits are required at the wheel house).(2) If ship has other watch or work stations and life-jackets has already been provided, for example, cargo control room of chemical tanker etc., the same number of immersion suits as life-jackets are required to such stations. Mooring stations (fore & aft) are not included in the above watch or work stations.(3) At least two sets of immersion suits are to be provided for the stored position of the additional liferaft required by Reg.III/31.1.4 according to the ...

Circular No. 17/2011 by the DMS The Department of Merchant Shipping has decided to allow the use on board ships flying the Cyprus flag of nautical publications, such as sailing directions, lists of lights, notices to mariners, tide tables, and other nautical publications necessary for the intended voyage, in digital format and to accept those as meeting the requirements specified in SOLAS regulation V/27, under conditions.For more details, click here.Source: Department of Merchant Shipping