The IMO Symposium on the Future of Ship Safety, held on 10 and 11 June, at IMO Headquarters in London, has recommended that the International Maritime Organization (IMO) carries out a full review of the existing regulatory regime, in order to meet future needs and expectations.

Following two days of intense discussions on a wide range of issues impacting the future of ship safety, the Statement of the Participants of the Symposium recommends that IMO's Maritime Safety Committee (MSC) (which is meeting for its 92nd session from 12 to 21 June) should:

• consider how to improve data collection and increase its availability in order to support monitoring and development of safety regulations;

• consider how to better integrate risk-based methodologies and the latest analysis techniques into the safety regulatory framework to provide a sound scientific and practicable basis for the development of future safety regulations;

• consider ways of encouraging a safety culture beyond mere compliance with regulatory requirements;

• take into account the burden any new or changing regulation(s) place on the seafarers and consider how this burden can be minimized; and

• consider undertaking a long-term comprehensive review of the existing safety regulatory framework with a view to ensuring that it will meet the future challenges associated with the application of new technologies, the human element, the needs of the maritime industry and the expectations of society, taking into account the ever-increasing pace of change and technological advancements made since the 1974 SOLAS and the International Load Lines Conventions were adopted.

Speaking at the close of the Symposium, IMO Secretary-General Koji Sekimizu said that the fascinating, stimulating and insightful Symposium had considered wide-ranging issues, relating to a more goal-based, risk-based approach. "With regard to data collection: there is no doubt that more and better data, and the use of the latest methods to analyse them, are central to the development of future regulations based on risk," Mr. Sekimizu said.

"Second, there is no doubt in my mind that a safety culture that goes beyond mere compliance is essential in the future. Ships will become more complex and, as they do, we must move away from safety being simply a series of box-ticking exercises. That approach is not good enough now, and the administrative burden must be reduced," he said.

"Third - and this is perhaps the most far reaching - you have considered whether the current safety regulatory framework is appropriate for responding to the future challenges and innovation and new technology associated with the ever-increasing sizes of ships and the need for compliance with environmental regulations; and, if we should change the safety system, how should we do that?" Mr. Sekimizu said.

Mr. Sekimizu also highlighted the symposium's focus on the human element; the need for self-regulation; and education and training.

"The serious challenge maritime training institutes are now facing is to keep up with new technology and this must be addressed.  Currently, the shipping industry is facing serious financial difficulties but it needs to comply with regulations for marine environment protection," he said. "Discussion on the future must cover all issues relating to ensuring competent seafarers free of stress and fatigue; support for seafarers must be continuously addressed at IMO."

The symposium was attended by some 500 delegates (which includes remote participants) who had the opportunity to pose questions to six international panels of high-level speakers from across the broad spectrum of ship design, construction, equipment, operation and regulation.

Source: IMO

Nautilus International has warned that Britain is in danger of more maritime disasters as a consequence of declining safety standards around the coast.

The union's warning follows the publication of the Marine Accident Investigation Branch (MAIB) report on the 2011 sinking of the Cook Islands registered cargoship Swanland in the Irish Sea, which led to the deaths of six crew.

The MAIB said it hoped the report would act as a catalyst for action by the International Maritime Organisation to tackle serious safety problems in the general cargoship sector  - with almost 250 general cargoship losses worldwide between 2002 and 2011, accounting for the deaths of more than 800 seafarers.

Nautilus general secretary Mark Dickinson described the report as 'a shocking indictment of the UK government's open coast policy, and as a consequence we have the ludicrous sight of a 28-year-old substandard ship from the Cook Islands operating in our waters.

'It's high time the UK government took effective action to deal with these growing risks rather than claiming they can do nothing,' Mr Dickinson. 'The government needs to end the cutbacks to the Maritime & Coastguard Agency to ensure that there are sufficient staff and resources to inspect these ships and there should be genuinely deterrent penalties imposed on operators who so brazenly flout international minimum standards to gain commercial advantage.

'Those who charter these ships are not without blame and need to consider the consequences of their actions. And the government ought to be looking at ways in which it can support home-grown shipping companies operating British-registered ships with British crews so as to directly influence the standards of shipping in our waters.'

Source: Nautilus International

New Zealand has stepped up its engagement with the International Maritime Organization, with the appointment this week of the Rt Hon Sir Lockwood Smith as New Zealand's first Permanent Representative.

The Director of Maritime New Zealand, Keith Manch, also participated in the first-ever Symposium on the Future of Ship Safety, held at IMO headquarters in London.

Sir Lockwood, New Zealand High Commissioner to the United Kingdom, presented his credentials to the IMO's Secretary-General, Koji Sekimizu.

Mr Manch said Sir Lockwood's appointment as Permanent Representative was an indication of the importance of maritime affairs to New Zealand. "New Zealand has a strong interest in ensuring effective international rules for safe and secure shipping and the protection of the marine environment," he said. Sir Lockwood, a former New Zealand Minister for Agriculture and for International Trade, underlined the links that maritime affairs have to the New Zealand economy.

"New Zealand is reliant on international shipping for the vast majority of our imports, and to get our exports to market. We need to be confident about the quality of this shipping, in terms of safety, security and environmental standards," he said. "Shipping is one of the most international of human endeavours, and no country can regulate it on its own. It's important we have our say in shaping the international rules that apply."

The two-day Symposium on the Future of Ship Safety preceded a meeting of the IMO's Maritime Safety Committee and brought together the full spectrum of ship designers, builders, owners, operators and regulators. Sessions were focused on the challenges facing shipping if it is to meet the needs of society, industry and global trade, and whether the existing regulatory regime will be sufficient to respond to these challenges.

Themes emerging from the Symposium, for consideration by the Maritime Safety Committee, were:

There was also a strong focus on the "human element" in accidents and incidents, and how to support the development of seafarers' capability in a time of significant change.

To view the full Press Release please click here.

Source: Maritime NZ

Lloyd's Register in cooperation with the Standard P&I club released guide on Container Securing. The Guide provides vital information on container security systems and the causes of lashing failures. It also offers advice as to how to minimize losses on container ships.

The Guide provides vital information on container security systems and the causes of lashing failures. It also offers advice as to how to minimize losses on container ships.

Accoring to the Guide, there are some Do's Dont's for containers as follows:

DO's

DONT's

Learn more about container securing here

IMO Secretary General, Mr Koji Sekimizu in his closing remarks stated that this Symposium was a " fascinating, stimulating and insightful event on future ship safety"

The purpose of the Symposium was not to provide specific input to the MSC but to share views on various elements which would compose a future safety system for further consideration in the coming years.  The scope and breadth of the discussion has been extremely impressive and all deliberations, conclusions and recommendations will be much appreciated during MSC 92.

With regard to data collection Mr Sekimizu said that there is no doubt that more and better data, and the use of the latest methods to analyse them, are central to the development of future regulations based on risk. Also there is no doubt  that a safety culture that goes beyond mere compliance is essential in the future. Ships will become more complex and, as they do, we must move away from safety being simply a series of box-ticking exercises. That approach is not good enough now, and the administrative burden must be reduced.

Regarding the human element, the need for self-regulation, and education and training, IMO Secretary General said that the serious challenge maritime training institutes are now facing is to keep up with new technology and this must be addresses.

Currently, the shipping industry is facing serious financial difficulties but they need to comply with regulations for marine environment protection.  IMO's Committees will take into account the cost of immediate compliance and ensure the smooth implementation of pending IMO conventions.

The subject of the Symposium has been something beyond overcoming the present challenges.  The subject was Safety of ships in the future; and discussion on the future must cover all issues relating to ensuring competent seafarers free of stress and fatigue; support for seafarers must be continuously addressed at IMO.

Please click here to read IMO Secretary - General closing remarks at Symposium

Source: IMO

The "White, Grey and Black (WGB) List" presents the full spectrum, from quality flags to flags with a poor performance that are considered high or very high risk. It is based on the total number of inspections and detentions over a 3-year rolling period for flags with at least 30 inspections in the period. On the "White, Grey and Black list" for 2012 a total number of 78 flags are listed: 45 on the "White list", 19 on the "Grey list", and 14 on the "Black list". The "White List" represents quality flags with a consistently low detention record.

Compared with last year, the number of flags on the "White List" has increased by 2 flags to a total number of 45 flags. New on the "White List" are the United States and Thailand, which were still on the "Grey List" last year.

France has been placed highest on the list in terms of performance. The next in line of the best performing flags in 2012 are Germany, Hong Kong, Sweden and Greece. Flags with an average performance are shown on the "Grey List". Their appearance on this list may act as an incentive to improve and move to the "White List".

At the same time flags at the lower end of the "Grey List" should be careful not to neglect control over their ships and risk ending up on the "Black List" next year. On this year's "Grey List" a total number of 19 flags is recorded. Last year the "Grey List" recorded 20 flags. New on the "Grey List" are the Syrian Arab Republic, which were last year still on the "Black List".

The poorest performing flag is Bolivia (very high risk), followed by Tanzania, Togo, Sierra Leone, Honduras and Moldova (medium to high risk). New on the "Black List" are the flags of Honduras and Dominica. A flag's ranking is taken into account when targeting ships for inspection and ships flying flags listed on the "Black" and "Grey" list are liable for banning from the region after multiple detentions.

The Paris MoU also agreed on the performance listing of Recognized Organizations (ROs). ROs have been delegated with statutory responsibilities by flag States. This list uses the same method of calculation as the flag State table but counts only those detentions, which the Paris MoU considers to be directly related to a statutory survey carried out by the Recognized Organization and a minimum number of 60 inspections per RO are needed before the performance is taken into account for the list.

In 2012 30 ROs are recorded on the performance list. Among the best performing Recognized Organizations were: American Bureau of Shipping (ABS) Det Norske Veritas (DNV) Lloyd's Register (UK) (LR).

The lowest performing Recognized Organizations were: Phoenix Register of Shipping (Greece) (PHRS) INCLAMAR (Cyprus) Register of Shipping (Albania) (RSA) On 1 July 2013 the performance lists will be used for calculating the ship risk profile and flags on the "Grey List" and "Black List" are subject to the more stringent banning measures in force since 1 January 2011.

More information can be found in the 2012 Annual Report, which will be released in July 2013.

To view the full Press Release please click here.

Source: Paris MoU

Lloyd's Register in cooperation with the Standard P&I club released a  powerful free guide regarding Container Securing.

The Guide provides vital information on container security systems and the causes of lashing failures. It also offers advice as to how to minimize losses on container ships.

Information included:

To view the full Guide please click here.

Source: Lloyd 's Register

Port of Oakland in collaboration with local and federal agencies hosted the placement of a maritime visibility sensor at the Ben E. Nutter Terminal (Berth 38) operated by Seaside Transportation Services, LLC and home to Evergreen Marine Corporation.

The sensor is a continuously operating visibility data collection platform that helps mariners make informed decisions in foggy or low visibility situations thus making the bay safer for marine traffic. The Port of Oakland (Port) is the first port on the West Coast to embrace the FS11 Vaisala visibility sensor technology.

The equipment is also designed to be operationally reliable even during the harshest weather." Mobile Bay, Alabama is the only other major port in the nation to install visibility sensors.

Port of Oakland Chief Wharfinger Chris Peterson stated, "This installation is the culmination of a two-year project and successful collaboration that included our Port, the San Francisco Harbor Safety Committee, U.S. Coast Guard Sector San Francisco (SF), Marine Exchange of SF Bay, NOAA's National Weather Service Office Monterey and NOAA's Center for Operational Oceanographic Products and Services (CO-OPS).

Here is the complex technical name for the system of which this new visibility sensor is a part: the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) National Ocean Service (NOS) Physical Oceanographic Real-Time System (PORTS?). This system provides real-time water level, currents and meteorological data for navigation aid in twenty major ports and harbors across the country.

The integration of this sensor technology in the overall PORTS? will result in improved navigation safety and will facilitate decision-making for the US Coast Guard, San Francisco Bar Pilots, tug boat operators, ferry operators and the sailing public on San Francisco Bay, especially during the winter and summer months when fog is more prevalent.

Visibility sensors are widely used and essential for aviation and are becoming more critical for maritime applications as well. The SF Harbor Safety Committee has adopted "Temporary Safety Guidelines for Navigation in Reduced Visibility", which includes the Oakland Bar Channel Critical Maneuvering Area (CMA) less than 750 yards away from the new sensor location.

For more information please click here.

Source: Port of Oakland

Consol Energy Inc. and the Port of Pittsburgh Commission unveiled a new Wireless Waterways system on Pittsburgh's three rivers that is meant to help river commerce and is part of a project meant to serve as a testbed for a wider national system.

The Wireless Waterways system is a neutral wireless broadband network that will connect all the different wireless systems that are found along the rivers. The system of connected devices and applications will help with river commerce, security, navigation, tracking and operation of waterway sensors, according to a statement released by Consol (NYSE: CNX)

The first use of the new system will be onboard Consol's M/V Safety Pledge, a part of the company's river fleet, as well as vessels owned by Campbell Transportation and the Gateway Clipper.

Source: Consol Energy

Among the items on the agenda for the Council meeting were a proposal for a marine equipment directive and a presentation by the Commission of coming initiatives in the field of passenger ship safety.

Prompt agreement on new provisions on marine equipment

At the meeting, the Member States reached agreement about the marine equipment directive - only approximately six months after the presentation of the directive.

The purpose of the directive is manifold. Firstly, to ensure that marine equipment - such as life-jackets and lifeboats - are inspected and approved in a more homogeneous manner throughout the EU. The experience gained from the current directive shows that the Member States apply the directive in differently and, ultimately, this may affect both safety and competitiveness. Secondly, the purpose of the directive is to ensure that the EU equipment manufacturers actually have free access to the entire market: Equipment approved by one EU Member State must be accepted by the other EU Member States.

Denmark supports the directive. During the negotiations, Denmark has striven to ensure that the Member States maintain their contributory influence, for example when the Commission intends to determine EU standards and marking requirements. Shipping is a global business, and so should the regulations be. This view is shared by a majority of the Member States so the Council reached agreement.

The next step is the European Parliament's consideration of the proposal, presumably immediately after the summer holidays.

Passenger ships made of lightweight materials?

As regards passenger ship safety, the Commission follows several tracks as a follow-up to the Costa Concordia accident last year. One important element is an update of the passenger ship directive.

In general, an update of the directive enjoys support in the EU Member States. At the meeting, Denmark argued in favour of the proposed directive contributing to an open internal market for ships made of lightweight materials, such as composite. Light ships have potential advantages to the environment - they are easier to maintain and consume less fuel - and to growth and employment in countries with ship-building industries, not least to Denmark.

Now, Denmark will follow up on the proposal for a directive vis-ΰ-vis the Commission, which is expected to be presented before the end of the year.

Source: Danish Maritime Authority