CONTACT BIMCO
Katerina-Elikonida Maroudi
Manager, Maritime Safety & Security
Athens, Greece
- +30 6972 984 778
- kma@bimco.org
The 10th session of the IMO Sub-Committee on Implementation of IMO Instruments (III 10) was held from 22 to 26 July. BIMCO was there to follow the developments.
We list key relevant points from the meeting here.
Investigations into the claims of alleged shortcomings of PRFs revealed that repeated issues in waste management and disposal arise from miscommunication between the ship and the receiving port, along with ships' late filing of disposal requests. Moreover, BIMCO expressed the view that not all cases when inadequate or non-existent PRFs were encountered were reported to the flag States.
Therefore, in order to ensure compliance with the MARPOL discharge requirements (oily wastes, garbage), especially within Special Areas, but also to relieve our crews of the inconvenience and associated risks of the excessive garbage onboard, it is crucial ship operators and ships:
The analysis of the investigation reports resulted in the identification of two common safety issues:
To ensure enhanced focus on these safety issues, including the outcome of the investigation reports, the Maritime Safety Committee, the parent organ of the III, is considering an initiative to start a comprehensive review of the International Safety Management (ISM) Code and related guidelines.
Moreover, at III 10 it was revealed that:
Additionally, a notable development concerning the safety of navigation and the avoidance of collisions with fishing vessels was that III 10 approved a recommendation to national Administrations to establish or expand regulations for the carriage and use of AIS and VHF for domestic fishing fleet.
The main conclusion of the discussions was that a comprehensive and timely reporting as well as thorough analysis of the investigation reports of all accidents is imperative in order to capture and share lessons learned and avoid repetition of similar occurrence. The approved Lessons Learned from the Marine Casualties reported by Member States will be released on the IMO website in a few weeks.
III 10 continued discussions on proposed draft amendments to the “Procedures for Port State Control 2023” (Resolution A.1185(33)). The agreed draft amendments include, among others, developing PSC Guidelines on control and compliance measures to enhance maritime security, as well as having a single source for detainable deficiencies to avoid duplication and ensure consistency.
III 10 made progress on the development of the draft “Guidance on assessments and applications of remote surveys, ISM Code audits and ISPS Code verifications”, and the associated MSC-MEPC circular.
III 10 agreed that:
Technical requirements will be further developed in the draft guidance for remote methods to achieve a level equivalent to in-person surveys.
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