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T H E M A G A Z I N E O F T H E INTERNATIONAL MARITIME ORGANIZATION

24TH BIENNIAL IMO ASSEMBLY MAKES KEY DECISIONS ON AUDIT SCHEME,

SHIP RECYCLING AND WRECK REMOVAL

DUMPING PROTOCOL PASSES ENTRY-INTO-FORCE CRITERIA

IMO ASSISTS IN RED SEA FERRY AFTERMATH

I S S U E 3 . 2 0 0 4

I S S U E 1 . 2 0 0 6

www.imo.org. No.1 2006 IMO NEWS 3

IMO News • Issue 1 2006

Contents

The International MaritimeOrganization (IMO)4, Albert EmbankmentLondon SE1 7SRUKTel +44 (0)20 7735 7611Fax +44 (0)20 7587 3210Email (general enquiries)[email protected] Website www.imo.org

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The 24th IMO Assembly came to some key decisions on awide range of issues. It was attended by a total 817

delegates representing 153 Member States and threeAssociate Members; the United Nations and specialized

agencies, one non-Member State, five intergovernmentalorganizations and 27 non-governmental organizations.

See page 18 for full details

IMO at Work

28 New impetus for co-ordinated approach to ship recycling through new legallybinding instrumentSAFEMED project launched at IMO

29 IMO and Interferry sign agreement on ferry safetyFormer chairmen honoured

30 USA signs amended SUA treaties

Meetings

18 Voluntary audit scheme adopted at IMO’s 24th Assembly

21 Sub-Committee on Fire Protection (FP) 50th session

24 Sub-Committee on Standards of Training and Watchkeeping (STW)37th session

26 Sub-Committee on Ship Design and Equipment (DE) 49th session

Intelligence

6 International rules on dumping wastes at sea to be strengthened withentry into force of 1996 Protocol

8 Tokyo Ministerial Conference on International Transport Security paystribute to IMO measures

9 IMO Assembly calls for action on piracy off Somalia

10 Red Sea ferry disaster: IMO provides assistance to casualty investigators

11 IMO Assembly elects new Council for 2006-2007 bienniumFormer SG wins high honour in India

Opinion

4 New Convention heralds better conditions for seafarers; a message fromIMO Secretary-General Efthimios E. Mitropoulos

Feature

13 Goal-based standards - a new approach to the international regulation of ship construction

A message fromthe Secretary-GeneralMr. Efthimios Mitropoulos

Opinion

4 IMO NEWS No.1 2006 www.imo.org.

New Convention heralds betterconditions for seafarers

To the approximately 1.2 million seafarers in the world today, the new, consolidated InternationalMaritime Labour Convention adopted by the International Labour Organization represents formalconfirmation of what we all recognize are certain basic human rights, rights that so many of us are able

to take for granted.

Everyone should have a right to decent working conditions. But, for seafarers, the negative impact ofconditions that fail to meet acceptable standards can be more than usually damaging. For most seafarers, theirplace of work is also, for long periods, their home. If conditions are poor, there is often no respite, nocomforting family to return home to, for months on end.

The new ILO Convention has frequently been referred to as the “fourth pillar” of the international regulatoryregime for quality shipping, being bracketed in this respect with three of the most important IMOConventions, namely the International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea; the International Conventionon Standards of Training, Certification and Watchkeeping for Seafarers; and the International Convention forthe Prevention of Pollution from Ships.

Collectively, these Conventions address the technical aspects of ship design, construction, equipment andoperation from the points of view of safety, security and the protection of the marine environment, as well asthe education and training of seafarers and the competencies that they should be required to demonstratebefore they are taken on the various shipboard positions.

The new ILO Convention will complement these key IMO technical conventions perfectly, by introducing thesocial element necessary to ensuring decent working conditions for seafarers and catering for such things asprevention of accidents; health protection and medical care; seafarers’ hours of work and the manning ofships; and the repatriation of seafarers.

Of course, the links between ILO and IMO, in this respect, go much, much further and deeper than simplyhaving the good fortune to have developed complementary maritime conventions. Indeed, our Organizationsboth have a mandate in the shipping sector and have collaborated most effectively over the years and thereare a number of joint IMO/ILO bodies that bear witness to this.

Currently, for example, IMO and ILO have two Joint Working Groups in the legal field: the Joint IMO/ILO AdHoc Expert Working Group on Liability and Compensation regarding Claims for Death, Personal Injury andAbandonment of Seafarers; and the Joint IMO/ILO Ad Hoc Expert Working Group on the Fair Treatment ofSeafarers in the Event of a Maritime Accident.

The second session of the latter, which met from 13 to 17 March 2006, approved a draft resolution foradoption by the Legal Committee to promulgate guidelines on fair treatment of seafarers in the event of amaritime accident.

The major achievement of the former group so far has been the development of two resolutions and relatedguidelines, one on Provision of financial security in case of abandonment of seafarers, the other onShipowners’ responsibilities in respect of contractual claims for personal injury to, or death of, seafarers,which have been adopted by both IMO’s Assembly and the Governing Body of ILO. Both the resolutions andassociated Guidelines, the aim of which is to provide seafarers and their families with a level of protection thathas hitherto been lacking in respect of two fundamental areas of seafarer welfare, took effect on 1 January2002. It is, regrettably, a matter of fact that, while the vast majority of seafarers work under fair conditionsand have the support of their employers when things go wrong on board ship, some are still subject to harshtreatment and unreasonable conditions. It is, therefore, for organizations such as ILO and IMO to look forappropriate standards to safeguard their legitimate interests.

It was in this spirit that, having identified some ten long-standing cases of seafarer abandonment in variousparts of the world, ILO Director-General Juan Somavia and I have signed joint letters to the flag Statesconcerned appraising them of the situation and urging them to do the utmost, as a matter of urgency, tofacilitate the resolution of each case, including the repatriation of the seafarers concerned and the payment tothem of all outstanding remuneration and contractual entitlements. We both look forward to receiving goodnews soon.

International rules ondumping of wastes at sea tobe strengthened with entryinto force of 1996 Protocol

Intelligence

Asignificant milestone for the protection of the marine environment was reached on

24 March 2006 with the entry into force of the 1996Protocol to the Convention on the Prevention ofMarine Pollution by Dumping of Wastes and OtherMatter, 1972, following its ratification by Mexico, the26th country to do so.

The 1996 Protocol represents a major change ofapproach to the question of how to regulate the use ofthe sea as a depository for waste materials in that, inessence, dumping is prohibited, except for materialson an approved list. This contrasts with the 1972Convention which permitted dumping of wastes atsea, except for those materials on a banned list.

The Ambassador of Mexico to the United Kingdom,His Excellency Señor Juan José Bremer de MartinoCVO, deposited his country’s instrument of ratificationat IMO Headquarters in London on 22 February 2006.

IMO Secretary-General Efthimios E. Mitropouloswelcomed the ratification.

“Now that the requisite number of ratifications hasbeen received, the 1996 Protocol will enter intoforce, thus achieving another major milestone for themarine environment. The application of theProtocol’s precautionary approach will have asignificant impact on the protection of the marineenvironment from dumping at sea,” Mr. Mitropoulossaid.

The 1996 Protocol entersinto force 30 days afterratification by 26countries, 15 of whichmust be ContractingParties to the original 1972treaty. The 1996 Protocolwas adopted in November1996 and will supersedethe 1972 Convention “asbetween ContractingParties to this Protocolwhich are also Parties tothe Convention”. Thismeans, in practice, thatboth instruments will be inforce in parallel for sometime, but the momentumwill gradually shift to theProtocol as more andmore parties ratify it.

The Parties to the 1996Protocol will be invited toattend their first Meeting

under the Protocol from 30 October to 3 November2006, in conjunction with the 28th ConsultativeMeeting of the Parties to the London Convention,planned in the same week.

One of the first key issues for discussion under the1996 Protocol is likely to be a review of thecompatibility of CO2 capture and storage in sub-seabed geological structures, as part of a suite ofmeasures to tackle the challenge of climate changeand ocean acidification. In preparation for thediscussion on how best to facilitate and/or regulatesuch activities under the Protocol (and the LondonConvention), a number of options will be developed– to clarify and, if appropriate, amend the Protocol –at an intersessional meeting on the related legal andadministrative aspects to be held at IMO in April2006.

Key features and advantages ofthe 1996 Protocol

The 1996 Protocol reflects a more modern andcomprehensive agreement on protecting the marineenvironment from dumping activities than theoriginal 1972 Convention and reflects the broaderaims to protect the environment in general,emanating from Agenda 21, the global plan of actionfor sustainable development adopted by the 1992United Nations Conference on Environment and

Ambassador Juan José Bremer de Martino of Mexico deposits his country’s instrument ofacceptance for the 1996 Protocol to the London Convention with IMO Secretary-General EfthimiosE. Mitropoulos



Intelligence

Development (UNCED), in Rio de Janeiro,Brazil, also known as the 1992 Earth Summit.

Precautionary approach

The 1996 Protocol introduces (in Article 3)what is known as the “precautionaryapproach” as a general obligation. Thisrequires that “appropriate preventativemeasures are taken when there is reason tobelieve that wastes or other matterintroduced into the marine environment arelikely to cause harm even when there is noconclusive evidence to prove a causal relationbetween inputs and their effects.” The articlealso states that “the polluter should, inprinciple, bear the cost of pollution” and itemphasizes that Contracting Parties shouldensure that the Protocol should not simplyresult in pollution being transferred from onepart of the environment to another.

The 1972 Convention permits dumping to becarried out provided certain conditions aremet, according to the hazards to the marineenvironment presented by the materialsthemselves. The 1972 Convention includes a“black list” of materials which may not bedumped at all.

The 1996 Protocol is more restrictive. Itstates (in Article 4) that Contracting Parties“shall prohibit the dumping of any wastes orother matter with the exception of thoselisted” (in Annex 1 to the Protocol). Thesematerials include:

• Dredged material

• Sewage sludge

• Fish waste, or material resulting fromindustrial fish processing operations

• Vessels and platforms or other man-madestructures at sea

• Inert, inorganic geological material

• Organic material of natural origin

• Bulky items primarily comprising iron,steel, concrete and similar harmlessmaterials, for which the concern is physicalimpact, and limited to those circumstanceswhere such wastes are generated atlocations, such as small islands withisolated communities, having nopracticable access to disposal options otherthan dumping.

Geographical coverage

The 1996 Protocol’s geographical coverage iswider, as it also governs storage of wastes inthe seabed, as well as the abandonment, ortoppling, of offshore installations (Article 1).

Although the internal waters of a State areexcluded from the dumping provisions underboth the Convention and Protocol, Parties tothe Protocol have the option to apply its rulesto their internal waters if they wish (Article 7).

Linkages with otherinternational agreements

The Protocol contains better linkages withother international environmentalagreements which have been developed since1972, for instance, through its ban on exportof wastes for dumping purposes (Article 6) inrelation to the Basel Convention on theControl of Transboundary Movements ofHazardous Wastes and their Disposal.

Assessment of wastes

The 1996 Protocol is more pragmatic in itsorientation towards commonly generatedwastes rather than contaminants. It is,therefore, more clear in what is and what isnot permitted for dumping at sea, making iteasier for Administrations to apply.

Key provisions of the step-wise assessmentprocedure are included in Annex 2 to theProtocol. All permits and permit conditionshave to comply with these provisions. TheConvention only referred to consideration ofcomparable factors listed in its Annex III,without showing how these fit together.

Compliance promotion

The protocol places more emphasis oncompliance than the Convention. Article 11requires the Meeting of Contracting Parties,no less than two years after the Protocol’sentry into force, to establish thoseprocedures and mechanisms necessary toassess and promote compliance with theProtocol. The Meeting may then offeradvice, assistance or co-operation toContracting Parties and non-ContractingParties. Initial work has already begun todevelop these procedures and mechanisms.

The 1996 Protocol includes a transitionalperiod provision (Article 26) assisting new

Parties towards gradually achieving fullcompliance over a maximum period of fiveyears (certain conditions apply).

Technical co-operation andassistance

Article 13 on technical co-operation andassistance requires Contracting Parties,through collaboration with the Organizationand in co-ordination with other competentinternational organizations, to promotebilateral and multilateral support for theprevention, reduction and, where practicable,elimination of pollution caused by dumpingas provided for in the Protocol, to thoseContracting Parties that request it.

Administrative arrangements

The tasks of the Meeting of ContractingParties (Article 18) and duties of IMO arebetter described than in the Convention.Unlike the original treaty, the Protocolestablishes clearly the depositary duties ofthe IMO Secretary-General and spells out theSecretariat duties necessary for theadministration of the Protocol.

The Protocol includes arrangements for thesettlement of disputes between Parties in itsannex 3, whereas the 1978 amendments tothe Convention on the same issue neverentered into force.

Amendments to the Articles to the Protocolshall enter into force “on the 60th day aftertwo-thirds of Contracting Parties shall havedeposited an instrument of acceptance of theamendment with the Organization” (IMO).Amendments to the annexes are adoptedthrough a tacit acceptance procedure underwhich they will enter into force not later than100 days after being adopted. Theamendments will bind all Contracting Partiesexcept those which have explicitly expressedtheir non-acceptance.

Incineration of wastes at sea

Incineration of wastes at sea was initiallypermitted under the 1972 Convention, butthis practice was ended in 1991 and isspecifically prohibited by article 5 of the 1996Protocol. Incineration at sea of industrialwaste and sewage sludge had already beenprohibited under the 1993 amendments tothe 1972 Convention.


Intelligence

IMO measures adopted to enhancemaritime security have greatly contributed

to strengthening international maritimesecurity, transport Ministers and officialsfrom 14 countries have agreed.

The Ministerial Statement on Security in theInternational Maritime Transport Sector,adopted by the Ministerial Conference onInternational Transport Security (held inTokyo from 12 to 13 January 2006), welcomedand supported the vigorous maritime securityactivities undertaken by relevant internationalorganizations, particularly, the InternationalMaritime Organization (IMO) and the WorldCustoms Organization (WCO).

The statement stressed the importance ofensuring continued compliance with theprovisions of chapter XI-2 of the InternationalConvention for the Safety of Life at Sea, 1974,as amended (1974 SOLAS Convention) andthe International Ship and Port FacilitySecurity Code (ISPS Code), which wereadopted under the auspices of IMO inDecember 2002 and entered into force in July2004.

The statement also welcomed the adoption,under the auspices of IMO in October 2005,of the Protocol of 2005 to the Convention forthe Suppression of Unlawful Acts Against theSafety of Maritime Navigation, 1988 and theProtocol of 2005 to the Protocol for theSuppression of Unlawful Acts Against theSafety of Fixed Platforms Located on theContinental Shelf, 1988.

A continuing high priority must be given toaddressing vulnerabilities in internationalmaritime transport by promoting furtherenhancement of international maritimesecurity, bearing in mind the significance ofensuring the efficient and legitimate flow ofpeople and goods, the statement said.

The Ministers noted, with satisfaction, theadoption in September 2005 of the JakartaStatement on Enhancement of Safety,Security and Environmental Protection in theStraits of Malacca and Singapore (the JakartaStatement), and in particular the agreementthat a mechanism be established by the threelittoral States to meet on a regular basis withuser States, the shipping industry and otherswith an interest in keeping the Straits ofMalacca and Singapore open for navigation.

Tokyo Ministerial Conference onInternational Transport Security paystribute to IMO measures

The Ministerial Conference invited IMO toundertake further work in relation toenhancing maritime security, including:

• the consideration, in cooperation withWCO, of the development and adoption,as necessary, of appropriate measures toenhance the security of the maritimetransport of containers in the internationalsupply chain, while respecting efficiencyand international harmonization; and

• undertaking a study and making, asnecessary, recommendations to enhancethe security of ships other than thosealready covered by SOLAS chapter XI-2and the ISPS Code, in an effort to protectthem from becoming targets of acts ofterrorism, piracy, or armed robbery andto prevent them from being exploited orused as means for committing such acts.

The Ministers:

• resolved to take necessary actions, asappropriate, in response to the JakartaStatement while respecting fully thesovereignty of the littoral States, andnoted with appreciation the offer byMalaysia to host a follow-up meeting;

• urged all Contracting Governments to the1974 SOLAS Convention to ensure thecontinued compliance of port facilitieslocated within their territory with therequirements of SOLAS chapter XI-2 andthe ISPS Code by appropriate measureswhich may include conducting inspectionsor audits of the port facilities locatedwithin their territory;

• resolved to share, to the extent possible,in an effort to promote effectiveimplementation, best practices on theimplementation of SOLAS chapter XI-2and the ISPS Code in relation to securityin port facilities;

• resolved to continue, in cooperation withIMO and other appropriate fora, toprovide necessary assistance andsupport to Contracting Governments tothe 1974 SOLAS Convention inenhancing their ability and capacity toimplement appropriate securitymeasures at their port facilities throughfurther international and regionalefforts; and

• agreed to further promote internationalco-operation in the education andtraining of Port State Control (PSC)officers, through relevant regionalMemoranda of Understanding for PSC,and other officers specifically designatedto exercise control and compliancemeasures, in order to promote effectiveimplementation of SOLAS chapter XI-2and the ISPS Code.

IMO Secretary-General Mr. Efthimios E.Mitropoulos participated in the Conferenceand delivered a keynote speech.

Transport Ministers from Australia, Canada,China, Germany, Indonesia, Republic ofKorea, Russian Federation, Singapore,United Kingdom and United States ofAmerica participated in the Conference.

Piracy and armedrobbery againstships is a seriousand frighteningthreat. Theministerialconferencecommended IMO'sefforts to combat it


The problem of piracy and armed robberyagainst ships in waters off the coast of

Somalia should be brought to the attention ofthe United Nations Security Council, the 24thsession of the Assembly of the InternationalMaritime Organization agreed on 23November 2005 when it adopted a resolutionon Piracy and armed robbery against ships inwaters off the coast of Somalia.

The resolution was submitted to the Assemblyat the recommendation of IMO Secretary-General Efthimios E. Mitropoulos following itsapproval, in principle, at the meeting of theIMO Council which preceded the Assembly.

The resolution condemns and deplores all actsof piracy and armed robbery against ships andappeals to all parties, which may be able toassist, to take action, within the provisions ofinternational law, to ensure that all acts orattempted acts of piracy and armed robberyagainst ships are terminated forthwith; anyplans for committing such acts are abandoned;and any hijacked ships are immediately andunconditionally released and that no harm iscaused to seafarers serving in them.

The resolution authorized the IMO Secretary-General to submit the resolution to theSecretary-General of the United Nations forconsideration and any further action he deemedappropriate, including bringing the matter tothe attention of the Security Council, taking intoaccount regional co-ordination efforts.

The IMO Secretary-General was alsorequested to continue monitoring the situationand to report to the IMO Council ondevelopments; to establish and maintain co-operation with the United Nations MonitoringGroup on Somalia; and to consult withinterested Governments and organizations todiscuss providing technical assistance toSomalia and nearby coastal States to addressthe problem. This includes taking into accountthe outcome of the sub-regional seminar onpiracy and armed robbery against ships andmaritime security held in Sana’a, Yemen from9 to 13 April 2005. A follow-up to this seminarwas held in Oman in January 2006.

The resolution respects fully the sovereignty,sovereign rights, jurisdiction and territorialintegrity of Somalia and the relevant provisions

of international law, in particular the UnitedNations Convention on the Law of the Sea.

Governments are strongly urged to increasetheir efforts to prevent and suppress acts ofpiracy and armed robbery against ships and, inparticular, to co-operate with otherGovernments and international organizationsin relation to acts occurring or likely to occurin the waters off the coast of Somalia.

Governments are also strongly urged to:

• issue advice and guidance on any measuresor actions they may need to take when theyare under attack, or threat of attack, whilstsailing in waters off the coast of Somalia;

• encourage ships to ensure that informationon attempted attacks or on committed actsof piracy or armed robbery whilst sailing inwaters off the coast of Somalia is promptlyconveyed to the nearby coastal States andto the nearest most appropriate Rescue Co-ordination Centre;

Intelligence

IMO Assembly calls foraction on piracy offSomalia

The Seabourn Spirit successfully beat off a pirate attackoff Somalia last year in an incident that drew worldwideattention to the situation there (pic: Edwards ship photos)

Continued overleaf

As this issue of IMO News went to press camenews that the United Nations Security Councilhad, as a result of its consideration of IMOAssembly resolution A.979(24), urged MemberStates to use naval vessels and military aircraftin the fight against piracy and armed robberyoff the coast of Somalia.

In a wide ranging Presidential statement onthe situation in Somalia, issued on 15 March2006, the Council "encourages Member Stateswhose naval vessels and military aircraftoperate in international waters and airspaceadjacent to the coast of Somalia to be vigilantto any incident of piracy therein and to takeappropriate action to protect merchantshipping, in particular the transportation ofhumanitarian aid, against any such act, in linewith relevant international law."

Soon after resolution A.979(24) was adopted bythe IMO Assembly (see main story),Secretary-General Efthimios E. Mitropoulossubmitted it to United Nations Secretary-

General Kofi Annan for consideration and anyfurther action he might deem appropriate,including bringing the matter to the attentionof the Security Council.

Mr Mitropoulos expressed his satisfaction atthis latest development, adding that he hopedthe action requested by the Security Council ofall UN Member States would help to bringabout a significant reduction in attacks oninnocent merchant shipping in the area andlead eventually to the eradication of theproblem of piracy off the coast of Somalia.

The Presidential statement was made at the5387th meeting of the Security Council held on15 March 2006, in connection with theCouncil’s consideration of the item entitled“The situation in Somalia”.

The full text of the paragraph concerningpiracy and armed robbery is as follows:

“The Security Council takes note of ResolutionA.979 (24) adopted on 23 November 2005 at

the twenty-fourth session of the InternationalMaritime Organization biennial Assembly,concerning the increasing incidents of piracyand armed robbery against ships in waters offthe coast of Somalia. The Council encouragesMember States whose naval vessels andmilitary aircraft operate in international watersand airspace adjacent to the coast of Somalia tobe vigilant to any incident of piracy therein andto take appropriate action to protect merchantshipping, in particular the transportation ofhumanitarian aid, against any such act., in linewith relevant international law. In this regard,the Council welcomes the communiqué of theIGAD Council of Ministers’ meeting in Jawharon 29 November 2005, which decided tocoordinate its strategies and action plans toface this common challenge in closecollaboration with the international community.The Council further urges cooperation amongall States, particularly regional states, andactive prosecution of piracy offenses.”

Security Council urges action over piracy off the coast of Somalia in line with IMO Assembly resolution

Late news...


Intelligence

Red Sea ferry disaster: IMO providesassistance to casualty investigators

In the aftermath of the tragic loss of the ferryal-Salam Boccaccio 98, IMO was able to

respond to a request for assistance in theinvestigation of the casualty from both theGovernments of Egypt and Panama, initially bymaking available two independent consultantsto provide technical advice to the casualtyinvestigation board established jointly by thetwo Governments.

M. Jean-Charles Leclair, of France, wasappointed to provide advice on procedures forcasualty investigation under SOLAS regulationI/21 (Casualties) and IMO ResolutionsA.849(20) and A.884(21) (respectively theCode for the Investigation of Marine Casualtiesand Incidents and amendments thereto), aswell as on safety of navigation,

radiocommunications and search and rescue,as appropriate. A first phase of this task wascompleted in February and a second is beingcarried out in March 2006.

Mr Mike Travis, of the United Kingdom’sMarine Accident Investigation Branch, wasappointed to advise on the location andrecovery of evidence from the wreck,specifically the voyage data recorder, a taskwhich has been successfully completed.

Following the two missions, and again inresponse to a request from the Government ofEgypt, IMO also provided another independentconsultant, Mr Tom Allan (until recently theChairman of IMO’s Maritime SafetyCommittee), to provide technical advice andsupport to the Egyptian Ministry of Transporton the safety standards related to passengerships, in particular on the resources andprocedures in place for the conduct ofinspections of safety-related systems andequipment for stability, fire protection, life-saving appliances and safety of navigation;survey and certification under the relevantprovisions of SOLAS Chapter I; andverification and compliance with requirementsrelated to the STCW Convention and the ISMCode. Mr Allan also advised on existing crisis

Following the tragic sinking of the Al-Salam Boccaccio 98,IMO consultants have assisted the joint investigation board

• provide a point of contact through which shipsentitled to fly their flag may request advice orassistance when sailing in waters off the coastof Somalia and to which such ships can reportany security concerns about other ships,movements or communications in the area;

• bring to the attention of the IMO Secretary-General information on attempted attacks oron committed acts of piracy or armedrobbery against ships whilst sailing in watersoff the coast of Somalia so as to enable himto promptly convey such information to theother Member Governments for theirconsideration and any action they may deemfit under the prevailing circumstances;

• encourage ships to implementexpeditiously, for the ship’s protection andfor the protection of other ships in thevicinity, any measure or advice the nearbycoastal States or any other State orcompetent authority may have provided;

management systems and procedures,particularly those that should be put in placeimmediately following a maritime accident. MrAllan’s mission was entirely distinct andseparate from the investigation into the casualty.

The actual conduct of the investigation into thecause of the loss of the al-Salam Boccaccio98 was being carried out by the casualtyinvestigation board set up jointly by theEgyptian and Panamanian authorities. Mr.Leclair’s and Mr Travis’s role was to provideindependent technical advice. The report ofthe board is expected to be submitted to IMOin due course, complete with conclusions andrecommendations. All the three consultancieshave been provided through IMO’s technicalco-operation programme.

Speaking after the accident, IMO Secretary-General Efthimios E. Mitropoulos said helooked forward to a speedy completion of theinvestigation and to receiving its report,including its conclusions andrecommendations, in good time, so that anyremedial action which may need to be takenfrom IMO’s perspective is taken without delayto the benefit of the international maritimecommunity. He added, “We owe this to thememory of the innocent victims of the ill-fatedship and their families, who have the right toknow what caused the accident which deprivedthem of their loved ones.”

On a one-day visit to Cairo in the days after theaccident, Secretary General Mitropoulosconveyed the solidarity and compassion of theIMO membership to the people andGovernment of Egypt and those of othernations affected and in particular to thefamilies, friends and colleagues of the victims.

During the visit, Mr Mitropoulos met, amongothers, the Prime Minister of Egypt, MrAhmed Nazif, and the Egyptian TransportMinister, Mr Mohamed Mansour, and otherofficials as well as the PanamanianAmbassador to Egypt, Dr Jorge Ramón ValdésCharris and the Panamanian expertsnominated to assist in the investigation.

Mr Mitropoulos praised the efforts of searchand rescue authorities. He said, “The efforts ofthose authorities involved in the search andrescue operation are greatly appreciated, inparticular because it had to be conductedunder adverse weather conditions.”

• establish, as necessary, plans andprocedures to assist owners, managers andoperators of ships in the speedy resolutionof hijacking cases occurring in the watersoff the coast of Somalia; and

• investigate all acts or attempted acts ofpiracy and armed robbery against shipsentitled to fly their flag occurring in thewaters off the coast of Somalia and toreport to IMO any pertinent information.

The resolution also requests the Transitional FederalGovernment of Somalia to bring the resolution tothe attention of the Transitional Federal Assembly,requesting it to initiate appropriate actions suitableto prevent and suppress acts of piracy and armedrobbery against ships originating from withinSomalia. It requests the Government to bring theresolution to the attention of all other partiesconcerned in Somalia and seek the immediatetermination of all acts of piracy and armed robberyagainst ships sailing off the coast of Somalia.

Continued from p9:


Former SG wins high honour in IndiaFormer IMO Secretary-General Dr CP Srivastavahas received the Lal Bahadur National Award forExcellence in Public Administration, Academics andManagement in his native India. The award wasbestowed by His Excellency the President of India,Dr APJ Abdul Kalam at a special ceremony in thePresidential Palace in the presence of the PrimeMinister of India, Dr Manmohan Singh, and otherleading Indian personalities.

IMO Assembly elects new Council for2006-2007 biennium

The 24th Assembly of the InternationalMaritime Organization has elected the

following States to be members of its Councilfor the 2006-2007 biennium:

(See table right)

The new Council met on Thursday 1December and elected Mr. Johan Franson(Sweden) as Chairman and Mr. DumisaniNtuli (South Africa) as Vice Chairman.

The Council is the Executive Organ of IMOand is responsible, under the Assembly, forsupervising the work of the Organization.Between sessions of the Assembly theCouncil performs all the functions of theAssembly, except that of makingrecommendations to Governments onmaritime safety and pollution prevention.

Category A

10 States with the largestinterest in providinginternational shippingservices;

China, Greece, Italy,Japan, Norway, Panama,Republic of Korea,Russian Federation,United Kingdom, United States.

Category B

10 other States with thelargest interest ininternational seabornetrade;

Argentina, Bangladesh,Brazil, Canada, France,Germany, India,Netherlands, Spain,Sweden.

Category C

20 States not elected undercategories A or B which havespecial interests in maritimetransport or navigation, andwhose election to the Councilwill ensure the representationof all major geographic areasof the world.

Algeria, Australia,Bahamas, Belgium,Chile, Cyprus, Denmark,Egypt, Indonesia, Kenya,Malaysia, Malta, Mexico,the Philippines,Portugal, Saudi Arabia,Singapore, South Africa,Thailand, Turkey

Goal-based standards – a new approachto the international regulation of shipconstruction

The development of goal-based new ship

construction standards is of high

importance for IMO. It has been

included in the Organization’s strategic

and long-term work plans and also in

the work programme of its Maritime

Safety Committee.

There is an increasing tendency to adopt agoal-based approach to regulation in

general and there are good technical andcommercial reasons for believing thisapproach is preferable to more prescriptiveregulation. “Goal-based regulation” does notspecify the means of achieving compliancebut sets goals that allow alternative ways ofachieving compliance. For instance, “Peopleshall be prevented from falling over the edgeof a cliff” is goal-based. In prescriptiveregulation the specific means of achievingcompliance is mandated, e.g. “You shallinstall a 1m high rail at the edge of the cliff”.

There are acknowledged shortcomings ofprescriptive regulation. The parties applyingsuch regulations are only required to carryout the mandated actions to discharge theirlegal responsibilities. If these actions thenprove to be insufficient to prevent asubsequent accident, it is the regulations andthose that set them that are seen to bedeficient, not the parties applying them,whose responsibility, in law, it actually is.Prescriptive regulations tend to be adistillation of past experience and, as such,may become less and less relevant over timeand at worst create unnecessary dangers inindustries that are technically innovative. Itis the innovator that is best placed to ensurethe safety of their design, not the regulator.Clearly, prescriptive regulations are unableto cope with a diversity of design solutions.Also, prescriptive regulations encode thebest engineering practice at the time theywere written and rapidly become deficientwhere best practice is changing withevolving technologies.

In fact, it is quite probable that prescriptiveregulations eventually prevent industry fromadopting current best practice. It followsthat there are clear benefits in adopting agoal-based approach as it gives greaterfreedom in developing technical solutionsand accommodating different standards.

Consequently, goal-based standards for newship construction should form thefoundation for the future advance ofinternational regulatory standards inshipping. They need to be broad, over-arching goals against which ship safety canbe verified at design and construction stagesand during ship operation. They are notintended to set prescriptive requirements orto give specific solutions. In order to have alevel playing field for the whole of theinternational maritime industry, thefunctional requirements of goal-basedstandards should be sufficient forclassification societies to develop definitiveprescriptive standards that can be appliedand implemented consistently on a world-wide basis.

At each stage of construction, maintenanceand operation, it should be possible todemonstrate and, more importantly, to verifythat the ship structure and design complywith the goal-based standards. Thestandards set by IMO need to be readily anduniversally understood, unambiguous andcapable of being assessed as being achievedby the prescriptive standards to be set.While it needs to be recognized that theintention is to set goals for a long time, itshould, however, also be accepted that theactual acceptable limits will change astechnology progresses and public/politicalperception changes.

Goal-basedstandards (GBS) arenot a completelynew concept in thework of IMO. Overthe last few years,the Organization hasstarted to introducegoal-basedstandards forcertain specialsubjects, albeit notin a systematicmanner. Examplesare the revisedSOLAS chapter II-2on Construction -Fire protection, firedetection and fireextinction, which wascompleted in 2000,

Goal-based standards for new ship construction are set to form the foundation for thefuture advance of international regulatory standards in shipping (pic: Oceangas)


Goal-based standards for new ship construction • Feature

H. Hoppe, Maritime Safety Division, International Maritime Organization

and the on-going work with regard to largepassenger ship safety.

The notion of “goal-based ship constructionstandards” was introduced in IMO at the89th session of the Council in November2002 through a proposal by the Bahamas andGreece, suggesting that IMO should play alarger role in determining the standards towhich new ships are built, traditionally theresponsibility of classification societies andshipyards.

Over the next two years the matter wasextensively discussed in the MSC, theCouncil and finally the IMO Assembly which,at its twenty-third session in 2003, includedthe item “Goal-based new ship constructionstandards” in the strategic plan and the long-term work plan of the Organization

Some IMO Members advocated theapplication of a holistic approach whichwould define a procedure for the risk-basedevaluation of the current safety level ofexisting mandatory regulations related toship safety and consider ways forward toestablish future risk acceptance criteriausing Formal Safety Assessment (FSA).Others supported a more deterministicapproach, based on the vast practicalexperience gained with oil tankers and bulkcarriers over the years and stressed the needfor clearly quantified functionalrequirements.


Some of IMO’swork, for examplethe holisticconsideration ofsafety issues relatingto passenger ships,is already adoptingthe “goal-based”philosophy (pic: VictoriaHarbour Authority)

After extensive and wide ranging discussionson this issue, it was agreed that the use ofthe risk-based methodology should befurther explored over the next few sessionsof the Committee, while, at the same time,proceeding with the development of GBSusing the deterministic approach. But thisalso means that, if it were decided to adoptthe risk-based approach at some point in thefuture, a revisit of the goal-based standardsdeveloped under the deterministicmethodology would be required to verifyconsistency and make changes wherenecessary.

The Maritime Safety Committee commenceddetailed technical work on the developmentof goal-based ship construction standards atMSC 78, in May 2004, where acomprehensive general debate of the issuesinvolved took place. The Committee agreedto establish a working group on GBS at itsnext meeting (MSC 79 in December 2004),keeping the subject, for the time being,under its own auspices, on theunderstanding that IMO’s MarineEnvironment Protection Committee (MEPC)would consider the issue from theenvironmental protection point of view andprovide its contribution for discussion at theMSC and its working group.

There was general agreement with a five-tiersystem proposed by the Bahamas, Greeceand IACS which is explained in more detailbelow. Discussions in plenary and in theworking group continued during MSC 79 andMSC 80, resulting in agreement in principleon the basic tenets of IMO goal-basedstandards as follows:

IMO goal-based standards are:

1. broad, over-arching safety, environmentaland/or security standards that ships arerequired to meet during their lifecycle;

2. the required level to be achieved by therequirements applied by class societies andother recognized organizations,Administrations and IMO;

3. clear, demonstrable, verifiable, longstanding, implementable and achievable,irrespective of ship design and technology;and

4. specific enough in order not to be opento differing interpretations.”

It is understoodthat these basicprinciples weredeveloped to beapplicable to allgoal-basedstandardsadopted by IMOand not only goal-based new shipconstruction standards, in recognition that,in the future, IMO may develop goal-basedstandards for other areas, e.g. machinery,equipment, fire-protection, etc. and that allgoal-based standards developed by theOrganization should follow the same basicprinciples.

The Committee agreed, in principle, a five-tier system (see below), following a proposalby the Bahamas, Greece and IACS at MSC78. The Committee also agreed that the firstthree tiers constitute the goal-basedstandards to be developed by IMO, whereasTiers IV and V contain provisionsdeveloped/to be developed by classificationsocieties, other recognized organizations andindustry organizations.

Tier I: Goals

A set of goals to be met in order to build

and operate safe and environmentally

friendly ships.

Tier II: Functional requirements

A set of requirements relevant to the

functions of the ship structures to be

complied with in order to meet the above-

mentioned goals.

Tier III: Verification of compliance criteria

Provides the instruments necessary for

demonstrating that the detailed

requirements in Tier IV comply with the Tier

I goals and Tier II functional requirements.

Tier IV: Technical procedures and

guidelines, classification rules and

industry standards

The detailed requirements developed by IMO,

national Administrations and/or

classification societies and applied by

national Administrations and/or

classification societies acting as Recognized

Organizations to the design and construction

of a ship in order to meet the Tier I goals and

Tier II functional requirements.

Tier V: Codes of practice and safety and

quality systems for shipbuilding, ship

operation, maintenance, training,

manning, etc.

Industry standards and shipbuilding design

and building practices that are applied

during the design and construction of a ship.

MSC 80 agreed in principle the followingTier I goals, applicable to all types of newships:

“Ships are to be designed and constructedfor a specified design life to be safe andenvironmentally friendly, when properlyoperated and maintained under the specifiedoperating and environmental conditions, inintact and specified damage conditions,throughout their life.

1. Safe and environmentally friendly meansthe ship shall have adequate strength,integrity and stability to minimize the risk ofloss of the ship or pollution to the marineenvironment due to structural failure,including collapse, resulting in flooding orloss of watertight integrity.

2. Environmentally friendly also includesthe ship being constructed of materials forenvironmentally acceptable dismantling andrecycling.

3. Safety also includes the ship’s structurebeing arranged to provide for safe access,escape, inspection and proper maintenance.

4. Specified operating and environmentalconditions are defined by the operating areafor the ship throughout its life and cover theconditions, including intermediateconditions, arising from cargo and ballastoperations in port, waterways and at sea.

5. Specified design life is the nominal periodthat the ship is assumed to be exposed tooperating and/or environmental conditionsand/or the corrosive environment and isused for selecting appropriate ship designparameters. However, the ship’s actualservice life may be longer or shorter

Feature • Goal-based standards for new ship construction


depending on the actual operatingconditions and maintenance of the shipthroughout its life cycle.”

MSC 80 noted the following Tier II functionalrequirements, applicable to new oil tankersand bulk carriers in unrestricted navigation,as prepared by its GBS working group. Thefunctional requirements have beenstructured to form three groups: design,construction and in-service considerations.They are preliminary at this point in timeand will be subject to further considerationat future meetings of the MSC.

Group 1: Design

1. Ship design: the specified design life isnot to be less than 25 years.

2. Environmental conditions: ships shouldbe designed in accordance with NorthAtlantic environmental conditions andrelevant long-term sea state scatter diagrams.

3. Structural strength: ships should bedesigned with suitable safety margins,specifically 1) to withstand, at net scantlings,in the intact condition, the environmentalconditions anticipated for the ship’s designlife and the loading conditions appropriatefor them, which should include fullhomogeneous and alternate loads, partialloads, multi-port and ballast voyage, andballast management condition loads andoccasional overruns/overloads duringloading/unloading operations, as applicableto the class designation; and 2) appropriatefor all design parameters whose calculationinvolves a degree of uncertainty, includingloads, structural modelling, fatigue,corrosion, material imperfections,construction workmanship errors, bucklingand residual strength.

The structural strength should be assessedagainst excess deformation and failuremodes, including but not limited to buckling,yielding and fatigue. Ultimate strength

calculations shouldinclude ultimate hullgirder capacity andultimate strength of platesand stiffeners. The ship’sstructural membersshould be of a design thatis compatible with thepurpose of the space and

ensures a degree of structural continuity.The structural members of ships should bedesigned to facilitate load/discharge for allcontemplated cargoes to avoid damage byloading/discharging equipment which maycompromise the safety of the structure.

4. Fatigue life: The design fatigue lifeshould not be less than the ship’s design lifeand should be based on the environmentalconditions above.

5. Residual strength: Ships should bedesigned to have sufficient strength towithstand the wave and internal loads inspecified damaged conditions such ascollision, grounding or flooding. Residualstrength calculations should take into accountthe ultimate reserve capacity of the hullgirder, including permanent deformation andpost-buckling behaviour. Actual foreseeablescenarios should be investigated in this regardas far as is reasonably practicable.

6. Protection against corrosion: Measuresto protect against corrosion are to be appliedto ensure that net scantlings required to meetstructural strength provisions are maintainedthroughout the specified design life.Additional measures include, but are notlimited to, coatings, cathodic protection,impressed current systems, etc.

7. Coating life: coatings should be appliedand maintained in accordance withmanufacturers’ specifications concerningsurface preparation, coating selection,application and maintenance. Where coatingis required to be applied, the design coatinglife is to be specified. The actual coating lifemay be longer or shorter than the designcoating life, depending on the actualconditions and maintenance of the ship.Coatings should be selected as a function ofthe intended use of the compartment,materials and application of other corrosionprevention systems, e.g. cathodic protectionor other alternatives.

8. Corrosion addition: the corrosionaddition should be added to the net scantlingand should be adequate for the specifieddesign life. The corrosion addition shouldbe determined on the basis of exposure tocorrosive agents such as water, cargo orcorrosive atmosphere, and whether thestructure is protected by corrosionprevention systems, e.g. coating, cathodicprotection or by alternative means. Thedesign corrosion rates (mm/year) should beevaluated in accordance with statisticalinformation established from serviceexperience and/or accelerated model tests.The actual corrosion rate may be greater orsmaller than the design corrosion rate,depending on the actual conditions andmaintenance of the ship.

9. Structural redundancy: ships should beof redundant design and construction so thatlocalized damage of any one structuralmember will not lead to immediateconsequential failure of other structuralelements leading to loss of structural andwatertight integrity of the ship.

10. Watertight and weathertight integrity:

ships should be designed to have adequatewatertight and weathertight integrity for theintended service of the ship and adequatestrength and redundancy of the associatedsecuring devices of hull openings.

11. Design transparency: ships should bedesigned under a reliable, controlled andtransparent process made accessible to theextent necessary to confirm the safety of thenew as-built ship, with due consideration tointellectual property rights. Readilyavailable documentation should include themain goal-based parameters and all relevantdesign parameters that may limit theoperation of the ship.

Group 2: Construction

1. Construction quality procedures: shipsshould be built in accordance withcontrolled and transparent qualityproduction standards with due regard tointellectual property rights. The shipconstruction quality procedures shouldinclude, but not be limited to, specificationsfor material, manufacturing, alignment,assembling, joining and welding procedures,surface preparation and coating.

Feature • Goal-based standards for new ship construction

A ship’s lifetime is a fundamentalgoal and the suggested standardin this respect is “not less than25 years” (pic: Geest)


2. Survey: a survey plan should bedeveloped for the construction phase of theship, taking into account the type anddesign. The survey plan should contain a setof requirements to ensure compliance ofconstruction with classification rules andgoal-based standards. The survey planshould also identify areas that need specialattention during surveys throughout theship’s life.

Group 3: In-service considerations

1. Maintenance: ships should be designedand constructed to facilitate ease ofmaintenance, in particular avoiding thecreation of spaces too confined to allow foradequate maintenance activities.

2. Structural accessibility: the ship shouldbe designed, constructed and equipped toprovide adequate means of access to allinternal structures to facilitate overall andclose-up inspections and thicknessmeasurements.

3. Verification of compliance (Tier III):

although there is general agreement amongthe IMO membership that a credible,transparent and auditable verification systemis necessary, so far the issue of how exactlyto verify compliance with the functionalrequirements has not been discussed in anydetail and is one of the tasks of theCommittee and its working group for thefuture. Preliminary views by IMO MemberStates differ widely.

The GBS working group at MSC 79 had abrief and preliminary discussion on Tier IIIand noted that, in general, verificationshould consist of the following four steps:

1. verification that prescriptive rules byclassification societies are in accordancewith the goal-based standards;

2. verification that the design of individualships meets classification societies’ rules;

3. verification that the construction of shipsmeets classification societies’ rules; and

4. verification that the ship throughout itslife meets applicable rules.

Of these four steps, the new item is theverification that classification societies’ rulesmeet the goal-based standards. However, itwas also pointed out that, in developing Tier

III, it would be necessary to look closelyat “who” would be required to show thatTiers I and II have been met. Tier II, forinstance, includes functionalrequirements on quality of constructionand transparency of design (see above)which relate to shipyards and designers,two entities that IMO has not previouslyincluded in the regulatory scheme.

Further, likewise preliminary, discussions inthe working group at MSC 80 clarified thatthe general purpose of Tier III is theverification that the detailed requirements inTiers IV and V meet the Tier II functionalrequirements, i.e. “rules for rules” – it is notthe purpose to verify that the ship meets thedetailed requirements. For goal-basedstandards for new ship construction, Tier IIIwill have the purpose of verifying that thedetailed requirements of the classificationsocieties meet the Tier II functionalrequirements. As such, Tier III shouldprovide a process for classification societiesto follow when providing information to theverification authority (still to be determined)in order to establish that their detailed rulesmeet the functional requirements.

In order to progress the work on this issue,MSC 80 established a correspondence groupand instructed it to develop draft Tier IIIcriteria for the verification of compliance forthe consideration of the Committee at MSC81 in May 2006.

Although first steps, e.g. agreement (inprinciple) on basic principles and goals, havebeen covered, it is clear to everyone involvedin the work that there is still a long wayto go in order to arrive at agreed goal-based standards for new shipconstruction.

The matter of risk-based and/ordeterministic approach has not beenbrought to a conclusion. The issue ofverification of compliance has so faronly been discussed preliminarily.Likewise, the question of how the GBScould be incorporated into the existingregulatory framework has only beentouched upon and initial viewsexpressed varied widely.

MSC 80 agreed on a plan for the futurework on goal-based standards, which will

be regularly reviewed and updated, asfollows:

• consideration of the probabilistic risk-basedmethodology in the framework of GBS;

• completion of Tier II functionalrequirements;

• development of Tier III verification ofcompliance criteria;

• implementation of GBS;

• incorporation of GBS into IMO instruments;

• development of a ship construction fileand consideration of the need for thedevelopment of a ship inspection andmaintenance file; and

• consideration of the need to reviewconsistency and adequacy of scope acrossthe tiers.

The development of goal-based standards iscurrently focussed on ship construction,however, in the long term, it should alsocover all other aspects relevant to newbuildings, including safety, environmentalprotection and quality assurance. Structuralsafety cannot be looked at in isolation butshould form part of an overall framework.

Goal-based standards for new ship construction • Feature

A good example of a goal-based standard will be thatrequiring ships to be designed to withstand theenvironmental conditions anticipated for their design life

In the future, IMO may develop goal-basedstandards for other areas, e.g. machinery,equipment, fire-protection (pic: Barber)


From the meetings • IMO Assembly

• 24th session

• 21 Nov - 2 Dec 2005

The auditing of IMO Member States to enhance theimplementation and enforcement of international

maritime standards has been set in motion, following the adoption of the Framework and Procedures for thevoluntary scheme by the International MaritimeOrganization (IMO), at its 24th Assembly, which met at the Organization’s London Headquarters from 21 November to 2 December 2005.

The adoption of the framework and procedures for thescheme heralds a new era for IMO, in which theOrganization has at its disposal a tool to achieveharmonized and consistent global implementation of IMOstandards, which is key to realizing the IMO objectives ofsafe, secure and efficient shipping on clean oceans.

The scheme addresses issues such as conformance inenacting appropriate legislation for the IMO instrumentsto which it is a Party; the administration and enforcementof the applicable laws and regulations of the MemberState; the delegation of authority in terms of theimplementation of convention requirements; and thecontrol and monitoring mechanism of the Member State’ssurvey and certification processes and of its recognizedorganizations.

It will help to identify where capacity-building activitieswould have the greatest effect and it will also enableappropriate action to be much more precisely focused.Individual Member States which volunteer to be auditedwill receive valuable feedback and, on a wider scale,generic lessons learnt from audits could be provided toall Member States so that the benefits may be shared. Theregulatory process at IMO may also benefit from theresults of this learning experience.

Alongside the audit scheme framework and procedures,the Assembly adopted a Code for the Implementation of

Mandatory IMO Instruments, which will provide theaudit standard.

A further resolution, on Future development of the

Voluntary IMO Member State Audit Scheme, requests theMaritime Safety Committee (MSC)and the Marine EnvironmentProtection Committee (MEPC) toreview the future feasibility ofincluding, within the scope of theaudit scheme, maritime security-related matters and other functionsnot presently covered and also toidentify any implications ofbroadening the scope of the auditscheme. The IMO Council isrequested to develop suitableprovisions for the possible futureinclusion of other issues (relating to

safety, environmental protection and security) in theaudit scheme, taking into account the experience gainedfrom the implementation of the scheme.

To ensure that Member States’ audits can commence in2006, an adequate pool of trained auditors is to beestablished by mid-2006, based on nominations byMember States of qualified auditors for training under theprovisions of the scheme. It is expected that between 20to 30 audits will be conducted during the 2006-2007biennium. The technical co-operation global programmefor the scheme will have a key role to play in supportingthe training programme.

Upon receiving a request for audit from a Member State,the IMO Secretary-General will appoint an audit teamleader who will discuss and agree the scope of the auditwith the Member State. The audit will commence afterthe signing of a Memorandum of Co-operation by theSecretary-General and by the Member State. TheMemorandum will set out the scope of the audit to becarried out and time frame.

Piracy off the coast of Somalia

The Assembly adopted a resolution on Piracy and armed

robbery against ships in waters off the coast of Somalia,calling for the issue to be brought to the attention of theUnited Nations Security Council (see page 9). Theresolution was submitted to the Assembly at therecommendation of IMO Secretary-General Efthimios E.Mitropoulos following its approval, in principle, at themeeting of the IMO Council which preceded the Assembly.

The resolution condemns and deplores all acts of piracyand armed robbery against ships and appeals to allparties which may be able to assist to take action, withinthe provisions of international law, to ensure that all actsor attempted acts of piracy and armed robbery againstships are terminated forthwith; that any plans forcommitting such acts are abandoned; that any hijackedships are immediately and unconditionally released; andthat no harm is caused to seafarers serving in them.

The resolution authorizes the IMO Secretary-General tosubmit the resolution to the Secretary-General of theUnited Nations for consideration and any further actionhe may deem appropriate, including bringing the matterto the attention of the Security Council, taking intoaccount regional co-ordination efforts.

Support for the United NationsMillennium Declaration

The Assembly adopted a resolution on technical co-operation as a means to support the United NationsMillennium Declaration and Development Goals. Theemphasis for the technical co-operation activities isplaced on meeting the special assistance needs of Africa.

Voluntary audit scheme adoptedat IMO’s 24th Assembly

Dr. Stephen Ladyman,Minister of State forTransport, UnitedKingdom, welcomeddelegates to theAssembly on behalf ofthe host Government.Ministers from 15other countries alsoaddressed theAssembly


24th session •21 Nov - 2 Dec 2005 •

The resolution notes that one of the effectsof the Voluntary IMO Member State AuditScheme will be an increase in demand fortechnical co-operation, resulting from thespecific needs of Member States that, eitherbefore or after a voluntary audit, may wishto apply for technical co-operation fromIMO to improve their own performance.

The resolution sets out fundingarrangements for the Technical Co-operationFund and reaffirms that technical co-operation is an essential part of theOrganization’s work to achieve the globalratification and implementation of IMO’sinstruments and to implement successfullythe Voluntary Audit Scheme.

The Assembly also approved theestablishment of a correspondence group toidentify the linkage between the MillenniumDevelopment Goals and the IMO’s IntegratedTechnical Co-operation Programme, whichwill report to the Technical Co-operationCommittee at its 56th session in June 2006.

The IMO Council has agreed that the WorldMaritime Day theme for 2006 should be‘Technical Co-operation: IMO’s response tothe 2005 World Summit’.

Fair treatment of seafarers

The Assembly adopted a resolutionrequesting the Joint IMO/ILO Ad Hoc ExpertWorking Group on Fair Treatment ofSeafarers to finalize guidelines on fairtreatment of seafarers in the event of amaritime accident as a matter of priority.The resolution echoes the serious concernabout the need to ensure the protection ofthe rights of seafarers in view of the growing

use of criminal proceedings against them, inparticular their prolonged detention, as aresult of a maritime accident.

The resolution urges all States to respect thebasic human rights of seafarers involved inmaritime accidents; to investigate maritimeaccidents expeditiously to avoid any unfairtreatment of seafarers; and to adoptprocedures to allow the prompt repatriationor re-embarkation of seafarers followingmaritime accidents. It also invitesGovernments and non-governmentalorganizations to record instances of unfairtreatment of seafarers in the event ofmaritime accidents and to provide data toIMO or ILO whenever requested.

Ship recycling

The Assembly agreed that IMO shoulddevelop a new legally-binding instrument onship recycling. The relevant resolutionrequests the Marine Environment ProtectionCommittee to develop a new instrument thatwould provide regulations for:

• the design, construction, operation andpreparation of ships so as to facilitate safeand environmentally sound recycling,

without compromisingthe safety and operationalefficiency of ships;

• the operation of shiprecycling facilities in asafe and environmentallysound manner; and

• the establishment of an appropriateenforcement mechanism for ship recycling,incorporating certification and reportingrequirements.

The aim is to complete the instrument intime for its consideration and adoption in the2008-2009 biennium. The resolution refers tothe urgent need for IMO to contribute to thedevelopment of an effective solution to theissue of ship recycling, which will minimize,in the most effective, efficient andsustainable way, the environmental,occupational health and safety risks relatedto ship recycling, taking into account theparticular characteristics of world maritimetransport and the need for securing thesmooth withdrawal of ships that havereached the end of their operating lives.

The Assembly also adopted amendments tothe existing Guidelines on Ship Recycling,relating to the inventory of potentiallyhazardous materials present in a ship’sstructure and equipment and the GreenPassport for ships.

Particularly Sensitive SeaAreas

The Assembly adopted revised Guidelines

for the Identification and Designation of

Particularly Sensitive Sea Areas (PSSAs). APSSA is an area that needs specialprotection through action by IMO because ofits significance for recognized ecological,socio-economic, or scientific attributeswhere such attributes may be vulnerable todamage by international shipping activities.An application for PSSA designation shouldcontain a proposal for an associatedprotective measure or measures aimed atpreventing, reducing or eliminating thethreat or identified vulnerability. Associatedprotective measures for PSSAs are limited to

A crowded IMO Assembly was attended by 817delegates representing 153 Member States and threeAssociate Members; the United Nations and specializedagencies, one non-Member State, fiveintergovernmental organizations and 27 non-governmental organizations

Outgoing President Mr Mel Cappeof Canada opens the meeting,flanked by Secretary-GeneralMitropoulos (left) and Capt. LuisDíaz, outgoing Chairman of theIMO Council (far right)

IMO Assembly • From the meetings

actions that are to be, or have been,approved and adopted by IMO, for example,a routeing system such as an area to beavoided.

The guidelines provide advice to IMOMember Governments in the formulationand submission of applications for thedesignation of PSSAs to ensure that in theprocess, all interests - those of the coastalState, flag State, and the environmental andshipping communities - are thoroughlyconsidered on the basis of relevantscientific, technical, economic, andenvironmental information regarding thearea at risk of damage from internationalshipping activities.

Wreck Removal Convention -Conference to be held

The Assembly approved, subject to progressmade by the Legal Committee, the holdingof a Conference during 2007 in Nairobi,Kenya, to adopt a new Wreck RemovalConvention. The proposed new conventionis intended to provide international rules onthe rights and obligations of States andshipowners in dealing with wrecks and

Resolutions adoptedThe 24th IMO Assembly adopted the following22 resolutions:

A.966(24) Relations with non-governmentalorganizations

A.967(24) Arrears of contributions

A.968(24) Presentation of accounts and auditreports

A.969(24) Work programme and budget forthe twenty-fourth financial period 2006-2007

A.970(24) Strategic plan for the Organization(for the six-year period 2006 to 2011)

A.971(24) High-level action plan of theOrganization and priorities for the 2006-2007biennium

A.972(24) Adoption of amendments to theInternational Convention on Load Lines, 1966

A.973(24) Code for the implementation ofmandatory IMO instruments

A.974(24) Framework and Procedures for theVoluntary IMO Member State Audit Scheme

A.975(24) Future development of theVoluntary IMO Member State Audit Scheme

A.976(24) Ships’ routeing – establishment ofan Area to be Avoided in the GalapagosArchipelago

A.977(24) Ships’ routeing

A.978(24) Amendments to the existingmandatory ship reporting system “In the GreatBelt Traffic area”

A.979(24) Piracy and armed robbery againstships in waters off the coast of Somalia

A.980(24) Amendments to the IMO Guidelineson Ship Recycling (Resolution A.962(23))

A.981(24) New legally-binding instrument onShip Recycling

A.982(24) Revised guidelines for theidentification and designation of ParticularlySensitive Sea Areas (PSSAs)

A.983(24) Guidelines for facilitation ofresponse to a pollution incident

A.984(24) Facilitation of the carriage of theIMDG Code Class 7 radioactive materialsincluding those in packaged form used inmedical or public health applications

A.985(24) Revision of the Guidelines for theprevention and suppression of smuggling ofdrugs, psychotropic substances and precursorchemicals on ships engaged in internationalmaritime traffic

A.986(24) The importance and funding ofTechnical Co-operation as a means to supportthe Millennium Declaration and DevelopmentGoals

A.987(24) Guidelines on fair treatment ofseafarers in the event of a maritime accident

A.988(24) Protocol of 2002 to the AthensConvention: reservation concerning the issueand acceptance of insurance certificates withspecial exceptions and limitations

Election of Officers

President of the Assembly

His Excellency Mr. Zha Peixin, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of thePeople’s Republic of China to the United Kingdom as President of the Assembly.

1st Vice-President

His Excellency Dr. Federico Mirré, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary ofArgentina to the United Kingdom; and

2nd Vice-President:

Her Excellency Mrs. Christiane Jeanne-Marie Tabele Omichessan, Minister of Transportand Public Works of Benin.


drifting or sunken cargo which may pose ahazard to navigation or pose a threat to themarine environment of coastal states. Thedraft Convention currently beingconsidered by the Legal Committee isintended to clarify rights and obligationsregarding the identification, reporting,locating and removal of hazardous wrecks,in particular those located in the exclusiveeconomic zone.

Attendance

The Assembly was attended by 817delegates representing 153 Member Statesand three Associate Members; the UnitedNations and specialized agencies, one non-Member State, five intergovernmentalorganizations and 27 non-governmentalorganizations.

The Assembly normally meets once everytwo years. All 166 Member States and threeAssociate Members are entitled to attend asare the intergovernmental organizationswith which agreements of co-operationhave been concluded and non-governmentalorganizations which have consultativestatus with IMO.

The outgoing President ofthe Assembly, HisExcellency Mr. Mel Cappe,High Commissioner forCanada, said that he feltconsiderable progresstowards theOrganization’s goals ofsafe, secure and efficientshipping on clean oceanshad been made duringhis tenure, even thoughmuch remained to bedone

“We must never rest onour laurels; we mustalways be aware of theobstacles that still remainand, moreover, of thenew and emerging issuesthat must be addressed,”incoming President, HisExcellency Mr. Zha Peixin,AmbassadorExtraordinary andPlenipotentiary of thePeople’s Republic ofChina, told delegates

From the meetings • IMO Assembly

• 24th session

• 21 Nov - 2 Dec 2005


50th session •9-13 January 2006 •

Sub-Committee on Fire Protection (FP) • From the meetings

Fire safety amendments forpassenger ship safety agreed

Amendments to SOLAS chapter II-2 andthe International Fire Safety Systems

(FSS) Code were agreed by the Sub-Committee on Fire Protection (FP) when itmet for its 50th session, as part of itscontribution to the comprehensive review onpassenger ship safety, which began in 2000.The guiding philosophy for this work isbased on the premise that the regulatoryframework should place more emphasis onthe prevention of a casualty from occurringin the first place and that future passengerships should be designed for improvedsurvivability so that, in the event of acasualty, persons can stay safely on board asthe ship proceeds to port.

The Sub-Committee agreed draftamendments to SOLAS chapter II-2 and theFSS Code related to: safe areas and theessential systems to be maintained while aship proceeds to port after a casualty; on-board safety centres, from where safetysystems can be controlled, operated andmonitored; fixed fire detection and alarmsystems, including requirements for firedetectors and manually operated call pointsto be capable of being remotely andindividually identified; and prevention,including amendments aimed at enhancingthe fire safety for atriums, the means ofescape and ventilation systems.

The Sub-Committee also agreed proposedamendments related to time for orderlyevacuation and abandonment, whichincludes requirements for the essentialsystems that must remain operational incase any one main vertical zone isunserviceable due to a fire casualty. Thedraft amendments will be considered by theMaritime Safety Committee (MSC) at itseighty-first session together withcontributions from other sub-committeesassigned work on this issue.

Amendments to Fire SafetySystems Code agreed

Other amendments to the FSS Code werealso agreed by the Sub-Committee as part ofa programme of work on harmonization, ornew development of performance testingand approval standards for fire safetysystems.

The amendments to the FSS Code will be

forwarded to MSC 81and concern portablefoam applicators; fixedfoam fire-extinguishingsystems; and fixedpressure water-spraying and water-mist fire-extinguishingsystems.

The Sub-Committeealso agreed draftamendments to therevised Guidelines for

the approval of

equivalent fixed gas

fire?extinguishing

systems for machinery spaces and cargo

pump-rooms (MSC/Circ.848); draftamendments to the Guidelines for the

approval of fixed water-based local

application fire-fighting systems for use in

category A machinery spaces

(MSC/Circ.913); and draft Guidelines for

maintenance and inspections of fixed CO2

systems. However, the amendments will notbe forwarded to the Committee for approvaluntil the harmonization exercise has beencompleted.

A correspondence group was established tocontinue the work on harmonizing anddeveloping performance testing andapproval standards for fire safety systems.

Review of the Fire TestProcedures (FTP) Code

Another correspondence group wasestablished to work on the comprehensivereview of the FTP Code. The aims of thereview are to enhance its user-friendlinessand provide a more uniform application ofthe Code, with the inclusion of appropriateinterpretations; to update the references toISO fire test standards; and to accommodatedevelopments in fire protection technology.In this regard, the Sub-Committee alsoagreed that the existing structure of the FTPCode and related fire test procedures shouldbe reordered to directly incorporate thevarious resolutions into the appropriate,relevant parts of the Code rather thanreferring to the related fire test procedures,many of which are in separate resolutionsand circulars.

Recommendation onevacuation analysis for newand existing passenger ships

The Sub-Committee established acorrespondence group to further developdraft amendments to the Recommendation

on evacuation analysis for new and

existing passenger ships (MSC/Circ.1033).

Development of provisions forgas-fuelled ships

The Sub-Committee agreed to continueworking on the development of provisionsfor gas-fuelled ships at FP 51, taking intoaccount the outcomes of the Sub-Committees on Ship Design and Equipment(DE) and Bulk Liquids and Gases (BLG).The MSC has instructed the Sub-Committeesto develop appropriate draft guidelines forgas-fuelled ships with a view to establishingan international standard for the installationand operation of internal combustion engineinstallations using gas as fuel in all types ofship other than LNG carriers.

Measures to prevent fire inengine-rooms and cargopump-rooms

The Sub-Committee established acorrespondence group to develop draftguidelines on measures to prevent fire inengine-rooms and cargo pump-rooms and toconsider, with a view towards consolidationand inclusion, any existing MSC circularsaddressing fire safety and preventionmeasures for engine-rooms and cargo pump-rooms.

Fires in engine-rooms and cargo pump-rooms can quickly escalate. The Sub-Committee established a correspondence group to develop draft guidelines onmeasures to prevent them (pic: OCS BBS)


From the meetings • Sub-Committee on Fire Protection (FP)

• 50th session

• 9-13 January 2006

Unified interpretations agreed

The Sub-Committee agreed to a draft MSCcircular on unified interpretations of SOLASchapter II-2 and the FTP Code, forsubmission to MSC 81 for approval.

Life-saving appliances andarrangements

Various items related to life-savingappliances were transferred to the FP Sub-Committee due to the heavy workload of theSub-Committee on Ship Design andEquipment (DE). Experts on DE mattersattended the FP Sub-Committee.

Prevention of accidentsinvolving lifeboats

The Sub-Committee agreed a draftamendment to SOLAS regulation III/19.3.3.4concerning provisions for the launch of free-fall lifeboats during abandon ship drills, forsubmission to MSC 81 for approval andsubsequent adoption. The amendment willallow, during the abandon-ship drill, for thelifeboat to either be free-fall launched withonly the required operating crew on board,or lowered into the water by means of thesecondary means of launching without theoperating crew on board, and thenmanoeuvred in the water by the operatingcrew. The aim is to prevent accidents withlifeboats occurring during abandon-shipdrills.

The Sub-Committee also agreed a draft MSCcircular on Early implementation of draft

SOLAS regulation III/19.3.3.4 to encourageearly implementation of the regulation priorto its entry into force.

It also agreed a draft MSC circular onGuidelines for the development of operation

and maintenance manuals for lifeboats anda draft MSC circular on Measures to prevent

accidents with lifeboats consolidatingprevious circulars MSC/Circ.1049,MSC/Circ.1093, MSC/Circ.1136 andMSC/Circ.1137. The draft consolidatedcircular includes the Guidelines for periodic

servicing and

maintenance of

lifeboats, launching

appliances and on-

load release gear;

Guidance on safety

during abandon ship drills using lifeboats;and Guidelines for simulated launching of

free-fall lifeboats.

Other LSA amendmentsagreed

The Sub-Committee also agreed other draftamendments to SOLAS chapter III, the LifeSaving Appliances (LSA) Code and theRecommendation for testing of life-savingappliances (LSA). They include:

SOLAS chapter III - draft amendmentsrelating to:

• onboard communications and alarmsystems

• survival craft muster and embarkationarrangements

• stowage of survival craft, rescue boats andmarine evacuation systems

• survival craft launching and recoveryarrangements

• operational readiness, maintenance andinspections

• servicing of inflatable liferafts, inflatablelifejackets, and marine evacuation systems,and maintenance and repair of inflatedrescue boats

• periodic servicing of launching appliancesand release gear

• survival craft and rescue boats

• immersion suits

• training manuals - which should be writtenin the working language or languages ofthe ship

LSA Code - draft amendments relating to:

• definitions

• life-jackets

• immersion suits

• requirements for liferafts

• requirements for lifeboats

• requirements for rescue boats

• additional requirements for fast rescueboats

• launching and embarkation appliances

• general alarm and public address system

Recommendations on testing of LSA -draft amendments relating to:

• drop tests for lifebuoys

• tests for inflatable lifejackets

• testing of metallic components

• donning tests for non-insulated andinsulated immersion suits and anti-exposure suits

• fabric tests for thermal protective aids forsurvival craft

• tests for pyrotechnics - rocket parachuteflares, hand flares and buoyant smokesignals

• canopy closure tests on liferafts

• davit-launched lifeboat impact and droptests

• lifeboat freeboard and stability tests

• release mechanism tests

• lifeboat operational tests

• air supply tests for lifeboats with a self-contained air support system

• rigid rescue boat and rigid fast rescueboats tests

• testing of davits and launching appliances

• tests on position-indicating lights for life-saving appliances

• tests for hydrostatic release units

• tests for launching appliances using fallsand winches

Further work on LSA

The Sub-Committee agreed there was a needfor further work by the Ship Design andEquipment Sub-Committee, in particularwith regard to improvements torequirements for on-load releasemechanisms; improvements to free-falllifeboat launching and seating arrangements;and compatibility of life-saving appliances,specifically compatibility of immersion suitsand lifejackets; compatibility of immersionsuits and lifeboat access and capacity; andcompatibility of lifejackets and marineevacuation systems. The DE Sub-Committeerecognised at its last session that the realproblem was not the relationship betweenlifeboat capacity and immersion suits, but

The Sub-Committee agreedamendments to SOLASchapter II-2 and theInternational Fire SafetySystems (FSS) Code inrelation to passenger ships.In future, the emphasis onfire protection for thesevessels will be on preventionrather than cure (pic: Star Cruises)


rather the increased weight and size ofseafarers and passengers. Further statisticaldata was needed to allow a thoroughanalysis of the issue.

FP Sub-Committee celebratesgolden jubilee session

IMO Secretary-General Mr. Efthimios E.Mitropoulos paid tribute to the Sub-Committee’s work and in particular to itscurrent and past Chairmen and Vice-Chairmen, as well as the past and currentSecretaries of the Sub-Committee, as it heldits 50th session.

The first session of the Sub-Committee washeld at the old Headquarters of the thenInter-Governmental Maritime ConsultativeOrganization (IMCO), in Chancery House,central London, from 14 to 18 December

1964, when there was a total of 42participants only – compared to more than270 at the 50th session.

Mr. Mitropoulos said that IMO Membersshould be pleased at the progress the Sub-Committee has since made, not only in thenumber of Member Governments andinternational organizations participating inits work, but also in the quantity and, moreimportantly, the quality of the output of theSub-Committee, which has contributedsignificantly to the achievement of theobjectives of the Organization.

Over the years, Mr. Mitropoulos said, therehave been many advances in the field of fireprotection engineering and in the regulationswhich incorporate fire safety technologies,drills and fire-fighting operations and

practices on board ships. He highlighted, inparticular, automatic sprinklers, inert gassystems, fire detection systems, machineryspace fire-extinguishing systems, automatedsafety control systems, new non-combustiblematerials and enhanced personal protectionfor fire-fighters, as a few examples and notedthat ships and the seafarers that sail themnow have a host of new technologies, whichtheir predecessors could only have dreamedof, to both prevent and quickly mitigate fireswhen they occur.

Thanks to the work of the Sub-Committee,Mr. Mitropoulos added, numerous fire testprocedures and performance standards havebeen developed to ensure that emergingtechnologies are up to the task, which hassignificantly contributed to enhanced firesafety at sea.


Sub-Committee on Fire Protection (FP) • From the meetings


From the meetings • Sub-Committee on Standards of Training and Watchkeeping (STW)

• 37th session

• 23-27 January 2006

STCW set for major review, Sub-Committee agrees

Acomprehensive review of the STCWConvention and STCW Code is needed,

in order to ensure that ensure that theConvention meets the new challenges facingthe shipping industry including, but notlimited to, rapid technological advancestoday and in years to come, the Sub-Committee on Standards of Training andWatchkeeping agreed at its 37th session.

The Sub-Committee noted that there was arange of items already on its workprogramme which will likely result inamendments to the STCW Convention,including the development of standardsrelating to ratings; reviewing and amendingthe STCW Convention and resolutionA.890(21) Principles of Safe Manning toinclude security related provisions;identifying areas in chapter VI (Guidance

regarding emergency, occupational safety,

medical care and survival functions) of theSTCW Code where training cannot beconducted on board; and reviewing theimplementation of STCW chapter VII.(Alternative certification).

It was also noted that MSC 81 will bediscussing proposals for new workprogramme items which would affect theConvention and code, includingdevelopment of ECDIS training andfamiliarization; development of standards ofcompetence for seafarers serving on LNGtankers; and proposals for developingmandatory alcohol limits duringwatchkeeping in the STCW Convention.

In the light of this, the Sub-Committeeagreed to the need for a comprehensivereview of the STCW Convention and Codewith a view to the resulting amendmentsentering into force on 1 July 2010.

The review would include the consolidationof the various changes, additions andmodifications, including the removal of anyanomalies that could arise. The MaritimeSafety Committee (MSC) will be invited toconsider the need for the review, with aproposed target completion date of 2008.

Competencies for ratings

The Sub-Committee continued its work onthe development of standards for theinclusion of competencies for ratings in theSTCW convention.

It was agreed in principle to adopt a two-stage grading structure while developingcompetences for ratings, as follows: • entry point as trainee; • deck and engine-room watchkeeping rating;• able seafarer and motorman.

It was agreed that the actual seagoingservice required for certification as an ableseafarer should be not less than 18 monthsor not less that 12 months with completionof approved training, while the actualseagoing service required for certification asa motorman should be not less than 12months or not less than 6 months withcompletion of approved training. The Sub-Committee prepared preliminary tables ofcompetence for an able seafarer andmotorman.

The Sub-Committeeagreed to re-establish thecorrespondencegroup fordevelopment ofcompetences forratings, excludingthe ship’s cook. Thegroup’s tasksinclude exploringthe possibility ofresolving the genderissue relating to theterm ‘motorman’,developingappropriate tables of

competence for ‘able seafarer’ and‘motorman’ and considering the need toaddress training and certification issuesrelated to General Purpose Ratings.

Security-related issues inSTCW

The Sub-Committee agreed to review theprovisions of the STCW Convention and ofthe STCW Code with a view to ensuring thatthey adequately reflected the inclusion ofsecurity into SOLAS. A preliminary list wasagreed, identifying the provisions of theConvention which needed to be closelyexamined with a view to determiningwhether they need to be amended so as toinclude appropriate security-relatedprovisions in the light of the requirements ofSOLAS chapter XI-2 and the ISPS Code.

The Sub-Committee agreed that it wasnecessary to include, eventually, appropriateprovisions in the STCW Convention and inthe Code to address the security-relatedtraining and familiarization of shipboardpersonnel other than the Ship SecurityOfficers, as a result of the provisions ofSOLAS chapter XI-2 and the ISPS Code.However, there was a divergence of opinionon the approach to be taken in relation tothe development of the specific provisionsand the Sub-Committee agreed to requestthe Maritime Safety Committee to considerthe matter and to instruct the Sub-Committee on the approach to be taken andon the nature, extent and level of trainingrequired.

Training and certification forport facility security officers

The Sub-Committee endorsed a draft MSCcircular on Guidelines on training and

certification for port facility security

officers for approval by the Maritime SafetyCommittee.

Measures to preventaccidents with lifeboats

The Sub-Committee agreed draft amendmentsto section B-I/14 of the STCW Code(Guidance regarding responsibilities of

companies and recommended

responsibilities of masters and crew

members) providing guidance onfamiliarization and training for seafarers

The MSC will be asked to approve a whole-scale review of the STCW Convention,which sets the international standards for maritime training


serving on board ships fitted with free-falllifeboats. The aim is to help prevent accidentsduring drills involving such lifeboats.

Skills problem with GMDSSoperators

The Sub-Committee discussed the need forimproved training or familiarization forGMDSS radio operators. In one country,radio surveys had revealed that navigatorsholding GMDSS radio operators’ certificateswere not sufficiently familiar with thetechnical and operational distress and safetyprocedures for the radio equipment on boardthe ships they were serving. The surveysalso indicated that the maintenance of areserve source of energy had frequently notbeen conducted properly which resulted ininadequate performance of the radio

installation.Furthermore,many operatorsdid not know howto avoidtransmitting falsedistress alerts.

The Sub-Committee agreedthat there was areal skills problem

associated with GMDSS operators and thatthe long-term solution could be addressedthrough standardization of equipment andoperating procedures. The Sub-Committeeagreed to invite the Sub-Committee onRadiocommunications, Search and Rescueto include this in the IMO liaison statementto the World RadiocommunicationConference (WRC 2007). As an immediatesolution, the Sub-Committee prepared anMSC circular on Promoting and verifying

continued familiarization of GMDSS

operators on board ships, for approval bythe MSC.

Model courses

The Sub-Committee validated the new modelcourse on training in AutomaticIdentification Systems (AIS).

The Sub-Committee noted that four OPRCmodel courses had been developed andrevised: OPRC Introductory Course; Level 1– First Responder; Level 2 – Supervisor / On-Scene Commander; and Level 3 –Administrators and Senior Managers.

There are currently 47 model coursesprinted and available for use with onebeing revised and being prepared forprinting and five currently out of printpending revision: A total of 28 modelcourses have been translated into Frenchand 32 into Spanish.

The delegation of China informed the Sub-Committee that, recognizing the importanceof the model courses, they had themselvestranslated 40 model courses into Chinese.

Information on simulatorsavailable for use in maritimetraining

The Sub-Committee agreed that there was aneed for Member Governments to providethe Secretariat with updated information onthe availability of simulators for training andendorsed a draft MSC circular onInformation on simulators available for

use in maritime training, which requestsGovernments to provide information toupdate the previous list, issued in 1998.

The Sub-Committeeagreed that there was aneed for MemberGovernments toprovide the Secretariatwith updatedinformation on theavailability of simulatorsfor training


Sub-Committee on Standards of Training and Watchkeeping (STW) • From the meetings

Protective coatings – performancestandard agreed


From the meetings • Sub-Committee on Ship Design and Equipment (DE)

• 49th session

• 20-24 February 2006

Adraft Performance standard for protectivecoatings of dedicated seawater tanks and

of double side-skin spaces of bulk carriers wasagreed by the Sub-Committee on Ship Designand Equipment (DE) when it met for its 49thsession. The draft standard will be submittedto the Maritime Safety Committee (MSC 81)for consideration.

SOLAS regulation XII/6.3, which requiresdouble side-skin spaces and dedicatedseawater ballast tanks in bulk carriers of 150m in length and upwards to be coated, isdue to enter into force on 1 July 2006 as partof revised Chapter XII of SOLAS.

The draft performance standard is based onspecifications and requirements which intendto provide a useful coating life of 15 years. The draft standard would requirespecification of the coating system, a recordof the shipyard’s and ship owner’s coatingwork, detailed criteria for coating selection,job specifications, inspection, maintenanceand repair to be documented in the “CoatingTechnical File”, which would be reviewed bythe Administration or an organizationrecognized by the Administration.

To encourage the early implementation ofthe performance standard, the Sub-Committee agreed a proposed draft MSCCircular on Application of SOLAS regulationXII/6.3 on corrosion prevention of double side-skin spaces and dedicated seawater ballasttanks of bulk carriers and application of theperformance standard for protective coatingsfor dedicated seawater ballast tanks and doubleside-skin spaces of bulk carriers.

Meanwhile, the Sub-Committee agreed, forconsideration by the MSC, proposedamendments to SOLAS regulation XII/6.3 andSOLAS II-1/3-2 to require the performancestandard to be mandatory and to be appliedto all dedicated seawater ballast tanksconstructed of steel on all new ships of 500gross tonnage and over and double side-skinspaces of new bulk carriers of 150 m in lengthand upwards. The current regulation II-1/3-2Corrosion prevention of seawater ballast tanksapplies to new oil tankers and bulkcarriers and requires all dedicated seawaterballast tanks to have an efficient corrosionprevention system, such as hard protectivecoatings or equivalent. A correspondencegroup was established to develop a draft

performance standard for protective coatingsof void spaces of all types of ships.

Amendments to the CASagreed

The Sub-Committee agreed draftamendments to the Condition AssessmentScheme (CAS) for oil tankers, concerningcases where a change of flag, recognizedorganization, ship ownership or ISM Codecompany occurs during the course of a CASsurvey or after the issue of a Statement ofCompliance to an oil tanker; as well as draftamendments to the CAS and related draftGuidelines on assessment of the residual filletweld between deck plating and longitudinals.

Amendments to the EnhancedSurvey Programme for bulkcarriers and oil tankers

The Sub-Committee reviewed the work indeveloping proposed draft amendments to theenhanced survey programme (ESP) (resolutionA.744) regarding surveys of double-hull bulkcarriers. A correspondence group wasestablished to prepare concrete proposals fordraft amendments to the ESP Guidelines(resolution A.744(18)), based on the relevantIACS Unified Requirement, concerning:

• procedural requirements for surveyormonitoring of thickness measurements;

• procedures for hull surveys of double-skinbulk carriers; and

• requirements for provision andmaintenance of as-built drawings coveringitems such as machinery installations,electrical installations and control systems.

Passenger ship safety

Following discussion in the Working Groupon Passenger Ship Safety, the Sub-Committeeagreed a number of draft amendments toSOLAS, to contribute to the major MSC workprogramme on passenger ship safety. Thework bases its guiding philosophy on thepremise that the regulatory frameworkshould place more emphasis on theprevention of a casualty from occurring in thefirst place and that future passenger shipsshould be designed for improvedsurvivability so that, in the event of acasualty, persons can stay safely on board asthe ship proceeds to port.

The proposed amendments include:

• Draft amendments to SOLAS chapters II-1and III on alternative designs andarrangements. Related guidelines were alsoagreed. The overall objective is to developmeasures to assess alternative designs andarrangements so as to ease the approval ofnew concepts and technologies, in particularin the design of new passenger ships,provided that an equivalent level of safety isachieved.

• Draft amendment to SOLAS regulation II-1,to add a new paragraph to Regulation 41Main source of electrical power and lightingsystems: “In passenger ships, auxiliarylighting shall be provided in all cabins toclearly indicate the exits so that occupantswill be able to find their way to the door.Such lighting shall automatically illuminatewhen power to the normal cabin lighting islost and remain on for a minimum of 30 min.”

• Draft amendment to SOLAS regulationIII/21.1.4 relevant to the time forabandonment, so that paragraph 1.4 wouldread: “All survival craft required to providefor abandonment by the total number ofpersons on board shall be capable of beinglaunched with their full complement ofpersons and equipment within a period of 30min from the time the abandon ship signal isgiven after all persons have beenassembled, with lifejackets donned.” Theamendment is intended to clarify the existingtime requirement for the boarding andlaunching of survival craft.

The Sub-Committee also agreed draftPerformance standards for the systems and

Performance standards for protective coatings onseawater ballast tanks currently apply to bulk carriersbut will become mandatory for all ships (pic: V Ships)


services to remain operational on passengerships for safe return to port after a casualty;and draft Performance standards for thesystems to remain capable of operation onpassenger ships for orderly evacuation andabandonment.

Amendments to the HSC andDSC Codes

The Sub-Committee agreed draft amendmentsto the 1994 and 2000 High-Speed Craft (HSC)Codes and the Code of Safety for DynamicallySupported Craft (DSC Code)

The amendments are intended to bring theCodes into line with current provisions inSOLAS. It was agreed that the application ofthe amendments would be limited to newcraft constructed on or after their entry intoforce unless specifically stated otherwise,similar to SOLAS amendments.

For the HSC code, the amendments to beapplied to “all craft” include those related toasbestos; carriage of certificates; transitvoyages without permit to operate;measurement of lightship where an incliningexperiment is impractical; and testing andmaintenance of satellite EPIRBS.

Emergency towing – draftSOLAS amendments agreed

The Sub-Committee agreed in principle todraft SOLAS amendments to revise theexisting regulation II-1/3-4 Emergency towingarrangements on tankers and replace it with aregulation on Emergency towing arrangementsand procedures.

The proposed revised regulation would add anew paragraph on Emergency towingprocedures on ships, which would require allships to carry on board details of theiremergency towing procedure, to includedrawings showing possible emergency towingarrangements, an inventory of equipment thatcan be used for towing, means and method of

The Sub-Committee discussed proposals for a draftnew SOLAS regulation on gangways andaccommodation ladders.

communication and sample procedures tofacilitate emergency towing operations. It wasagreed to split the date of entry into forceinto two phases: one date for new ships,existing cargo ships of not less than 20,000dwt, and existing passenger ships; andanother date for existing cargo ships of lessthan 20,000 dwt two years later.

Inspection and surveyrequirements foraccommodation ladders

The Sub-Committee, noting concern about thenumber of accidents involving pilot ladders,some of which have resulted in fatalities,discussed proposals for a draft new SOLASregulation II-1/3-9 on Means of access to andegress from ships and related guidelines forinspection and survey for accommodation andpilot ladders as well as a proposal for a draftnew SOLAS regulation on Gangways andaccommodation ladders. There was generalagreement on the need to discuss inspectionand survey requirements for accommodationand pilot ladders further at the next session.

In the meantime, the Sub-Committee agreedto a draft MSC circular on Means ofembarkation on and disembarkation fromships, for submission to MSC 81 for approval.The circular is intended to make MemberGovernments aware of the existing problemsregarding adequate inspection andmaintenance of accommodation and pilotladders. It recommends that, in an effort toreduce the number of accidents involvingmeans of access to and from ships, and theresulting loss of life and injury,Administrations should review and update, asnecessary, any existing nationalrequirements relating to the means of accessto and from ships, as well as the associatedsurvey and inspection provisions.

Oily wastes in machinery spaces

The Sub-Committee agreed draft RevisedGuidelines for systems for handling oily wastesin machinery spaces of ships and the Guidelinesfor integrated bilge water treatment systems(IBTS), for submission to the MarineEnvironment Protection Committee (MEPC54) for approval.

The revised guidelines and guidelines on IBTSare intended to replace the existing guidelines(MEPC/Circ.235) by adding a reference to

IBTS and replacing “100 ppm” with “15 ppm”with reference to discharge equipment forbilge water and oily waste, to take into accountthe requirements in MARPOL, under whichthe permitted oil content of the effluent whichmay be discharged into the sea is 15 parts permillion (this was reduced from 100 ppm by the1992 MARPOL amendments).

IBTS is designed to minimize the amount ofthe oily bilge water generated in machineryspaces by treating the leaked water and oilseparately and also by providing integratedmeans to process the oily bilge water and oilresidue (sludge).

Unified Interpretations

The Sub-Committee agreed to a draft MSCcircular on Amendments to unifiedinterpretations to SOLAS chapters II-1 and XIIapproved by MSC/Circ.1176, for submissionto MSC 81 for approval. The unifiedinterpretations covered include those relatedto water level detectors installed on bulkcarriers in compliance with SOLAS regulationXII/12; access hatchways and ladders on oiltankers in relation to SOLAS regulation II-1/3-6, paragraph 3.2; and fuel oil service tanks inrelation to SOLAS Regulation II-1/26.11.

Review of the SPS Code

A review of the Code of Safety for SpecialPurpose Ships (SPS Code) was initiated and acorrespondence group was established tofurther the work intersessionally. Theoriginal SPS Code was adopted in 1983 andamendments may be needed to reflectamendments to SOLAS adopted since then aswell as experience gained in the applicationof the Code. In particular, the SPS Codecould be amended to make clearer itsapplication to training ships, in order toestablish common international regulationsfor ships used on training programmes.

MODU Code amendments

The Sub-Committee established acorrespondence group to develop draftamendments to the Code for theConstruction and Equipment of MobileOffshore Drilling Units (MODU Code), tobring it up to date and into line with relevantrequirements in SOLAS.

49th session •20-24 February 2006 •

Sub-Committee on Ship Design and Equipment (DE) • From the meetings

IMO at work


New impetus for co-ordinated approach to shiprecycling through new legally binding instrument

AJoint Working Group on ship scrappingestablished by IMO, the International

Labour Organization (ILO) and the Parties tothe Basel Convention on the Control ofTransboundary Movements of HazardousWastes and their Disposal has concluded itssecond meeting.

Since the first meeting of the Joint WorkingGroup in February 2005, the IMO’sAssembly has adopted a resolution seekingthe development of a legally bindinginstrument on ship recycling. Thisinstrument would provide global regulationson the design, construction, operation andpreparation of ships so as to facilitate safeand environmentally sound recycling. Itwould also encompass the operation ofenvironmentally sound ship recycling and theestablishment of an appropriate enforcementmechanism for ship recycling.

As the IMO resolution notes, the JointWorking Group can make recommendationsfor consideration in the development of thenew instrument. In this light, first substantivediscussions took place on issues of directrelevance to the three Organizations. Theseare:

• The experience of prior informed consentfor ship recycling between States;

• Requirements of a reporting system forships destined for scrapping;

• Basic principles of an applicable controlmechanism;

• Pre-cleaning and preparation of ships;

• Practical approaches that promoteoccupational health and safety andenvironmentally sound management ofship scrapping; and

• Possible roles of concerned States, such asflag States, port States and recycling Statesin the context of occupational health andsafety and the environmentally soundmanagement of ship scrapping and thepotential benefits of a mandatory shiprecycling plan.

In parallel to the development of a newinstrument on ship recycling, an InternationalShip Recycling Fund is expected to beestablished by IMO in May 2006.

The Joint Working Group also discussedprogress made in ongoing activities such asthe promotion of the implementation ofGuidelines on ship recycling, the examinationof relevant ILO, IMO and Basel ConventionGuidelines on ship recycling, as well as jointtechnical co-operation activities. An IMOworkshop on technical aspects of shiprecycling earlier this year in Izmir, Turkey,

was noted as a useful precedent for theparticipation of the three Organizations ineach other’s activities.

The Joint Working Group recommended thateach Organization invite the other twoOrganizations to participate in the workshopsor seminars organized by the Organizationand that each Organization include in theprogramme of its activities a sectionproviding information on the Guidelines ofthe other two Organizations. Governmentsand other stakeholders are also invited toprovide information to the threeOrganizations on any technical co-operationactivities or other relevant initiatives alreadylaunched or planned so that these activitiescould be taken into account in the futuretechnical co-operation programmes of theOrganizations.

The Joint Working Group was set up by thethree Organizations to act as a platform forconsultation, co-ordination and co-operationin relation to their activities on shipscrapping. The Group aims to promote a co-ordinated approach in order to avoidduplicating work and overlapping roles,responsibilities and competencies betweenthe three Organizations. It also aims atidentifying further needs relating to shipscrapping globally.

SAFEMED project launched at IMOREMPEC representatives outlined the mainfeatures of the project at the launch, whichwas attended by representatives of IMO, EUMember States, the European Commission(EC) and beneficiary countries. The launchcoincided with the 24th session of the IMOAssembly, which was held during Decemberlast year.

The Project will be implemented byREMPEC during 2006–2008 in tenMediterranean Partner countries** - Algeria,Egypt, Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, Morocco, thePalestinian Authority, Syria, Tunisia andTurkey - under the overall co-ordination ofthe EC and with technical backstopping fromIMO.

The primary objective of the SAFEMEDproject is to harmonize the application ofmaritime legislation in the region betweenthe Mediterranean Partners that are notmembers of the EU, and those that aremembers, through promoting coherent,

The SAFEMED project for Euro-Mediterranean Co-operation on

Maritime Safety and Prevention of Pollutionfrom Ships has been launched at theHeadquarters of the International MaritimeOrganization (IMO) in London.

SAFEMED is a €4 million EU-fundedregional project established under theMEDA* programme which is to beimplemented by the IMO-administeredRegional Marine Pollution EmergencyResponse Centre for the Mediterranean Sea(REMPEC). SAFEMED will focus on:

• flag State implementation and monitoringof classification societies;

• safety of navigation and trafficmonitoring;

• protection of the marine environment;

• human element issues; and

• security of ships and port facilities.

effective and uniform implementation of therelevant international conventions and rulesaimed at better protection of the marineenvironment in the Mediterranean region.Specific activities under SAFEMED willinclude training courses and seminars,needs’ assessment, capacity building,preparing for the Voluntary IMO MemberState Audit Scheme and establishment andmaintenance of a dedicated SAFEMEDwebsite.* The MEDA programme is the principal financialinstrument of the European Union for theimplementation of the Euro-MediterraneanPartnership. The programme offers technical andfinancial support measures to accompany thereform of economic and social structures in theMediterranean Partners.

** Refers to the “Mediterranean Partners” asdefined in the 1995 Euro-MediterraneanPartnership (Barcelona Process), a wide frameworkof political, economic and social relations betweenthe Member States of the European Union andPartners of the Southern Mediterranean.

IMO and Interferry sign agreement on ferry safety

IMO and the non-governmental industryorganization Interferry have signed a

Memorandum of Understanding (MoU)formalizing the two Organizations’ intent towork together towards enhancing the safetyof non-Convention ferries by collaborating,through IMO’s Integrated Technical Co-operation Programme, on related capacity-building activities within developingcountries.

Under the agreement, the two Organizationswill work closely with interested parties suchas Bangladesh, which has been selected as apilot country for the Organizations’ work,with the aim of identifying potential solutionsto increasing ferry safety. The twoOrganizations have agreed to share certaincosts and IMO will seek financial supportfrom governments and multilateral fundingorganizations. Interferry will reach out toprivate sector ferry operators and its ownmembers, as well as other internationalprivate sector organizations, to inform themof the initiative and seek their support, aswell as seeking the assistance of privatesector ferry operators in the pilot countryitself.

The two Organizations will also collaborateon the preparation of materials anddocumentation to support the operation of anational working group in the pilot countrywhich will seek to involve all stakeholders inimproving ferry safety.

The MoU takes the form of a generalframework for co-operation. Following thesignature, the next step will be to conduct adetailed, research-based analysis of theproblems prior to the establishment of theworking group in the pilot country, in whicha variety of stakeholders, as well as experts,will be invited to participate.

The purpose of the working group will be toselect sites, identify the issues to beaddressed, highlight the obstacles that needto be overcome and suggest solutions thatcould be implemented. At this stage, threepilot projects are being anticipated indifferent parts of Bangladesh, each siteselected to focus on a particular issue.

Following the outcome of the working groupthe next phase is anticipated to be a largerGovernment-approved project withinBangladesh looking at issues such asovercrowding; terminal management, vesseldesign and management, passenger-carryingarrangements, stowage, hazardous weather,crew training and certification systems aswell as other issues raised by the workinggroup. The lessons learnt from this project

IMO at work

will serve as a model for projects in othercountries needing to address ferry safety.

The MoU was signed on behalf of IMO bySecretary-General Efthimios E. Mitropoulosand for Interferry by Mr. Alexander


Panagopulos, Director of the Interferryboard. Both men re-iterated the crucialimportance of making progress in a sectorwhich has seen a number of tragic accidentswith considerable loss of life in recent years.

Secretary-General Efthimios E. Mitropoulos and Mr. Alexander Panagopulos, Director of the Interferry board, sign theMoU between the two Organizations

Former chairmen honoured

Tom Allan and Alfred Popp, two highly respected former IMO committee chairmen, have been honoured at areception in London given by the United States. Pictured, from left: Admiral Thomas H. Collins, Commandant,United States Coast Guard; His Excellency Mr. Robert H. Tuttle, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary,American Embassy, London; Mr. Alfred H.E. Popp, QC, former Chairman of the IMO Legal Committee, SeniorGeneral Counsel, Transport Canada; Mr. Tom Allan, former Chairman of the Maritime Safety Committee, formerUnited Kingdom Permanent Representative to IMO, Maritime and Coastguard Agency; Mr. Efthimios E.Mitropoulos, Secretary-General, IMO; Rear Admiral Thomas Gilmour, Assistant Commandant for Marine Safety,Security and Environmental Protection, United States Coast Guard

IMO at work

USA signs amended SUA treaties

Robert Holmes Tuttle, the Ambassador ofthe United States to the United Kingdom,

has signed the Protocols to the Conventionfor the Suppression of Unlawful Acts againstthe Safety of Maritime Navigation (SUA) thatwere adopted by IMO last October.

The amendments to the Convention for theSuppression of Unlawful Acts (SUA) Againstthe Safety of Maritime Navigation, 1988 and itsrelated Protocol, which provide the legal basis

for action to be taken against personscommitting unlawful acts against the safety ofnavigation (and against fixed platforms locatedon the continental shelf), were adopted by aDiplomatic Conference on the Revision of theSUA Treaties, in the form of Protocols to theSUA treaties (the 2005 Protocols).

The principal purpose of the SUA treaties isto ensure that anyone committing unlawfulacts against the safety of navigation will not

be given shelter in anycountry but will either beprosecuted or extradited toa State where they willstand trial. The 2005Protocols broaden the list ofoffences made unlawfulunder the treaties, such asto include the offence ofusing a ship itself in amanner that causes death orserious injury or damageand the transport ofweapons or equipment thatcould be used for weaponsof mass destruction.

The 2005 SUA Protocolintroduces provisions for theboarding of ships wherethere are reasonablegrounds to suspect that theship or a person on board

the ship is, has been, or is about to beinvolved in, the commission of an offenceunder the Convention. The amendedConvention for the Suppression of UnlawfulActs Against the Safety of MaritimeNavigation will enter into force ninety daysafter the date on which twelve States haveeither signed it without reservation as toratification, acceptance or approval, or havedeposited an instrument of ratification,acceptance, approval or accession with theSecretary-General. The amended Protocolrequires ratification from three States whichare also party to the SUA Convention but itcannot come into force unless the 2005 SUAProtocol is already in force.

Ambassador Tuttle signing the SUA agreement

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