IMO Maritime Safety Committee Progresses Broad Agenda

by Robert Lee, Tax-News.com, London

21 December 2008

Piracy and armed robbery off the coast of Somalia, the Long Range Identification and Tracking (LRIT) system, the development of goal-based standards for new ship construction and the adoption of amendments to the International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS) were among the items at the top of the agenda during an 8-day meeting of IMO's Maritime Safety Committee (MSC).

The MSC held its 85th session, at the Organization's London Headquarters, from November 26 to December 5, 2008.

A lengthy discussion was held on the escalation in reported acts of piracy and armed robbery against ships off the coast of Somalia.

The MSC expressed its support for various initiatives being undertaken, including action by the United Nations Security Council (UNSC), in particular the adoption of UNSC Resolution 1846, extending for another twelve months, from December 2, 2008, the authorization for States and regional organizations to enter Somalia's territorial waters and to use "all necessary means" to repress acts of piracy and armed robbery in these waters.

The Committee instructed a correspondence group, tasked with the revision of guidance on the prevention and suppression of acts of piracy and armed robbery against ships, to consider the need for guidance to seafarers should they be attacked, fired upon, kidnapped or held hostage. The group was also instructed to discuss proposals on practical measures to enhance the safety and security of merchant ships against attack and to examine the carriage of firearms or armed personnel on board such vessels.

The MSC then went on to review progress on the implementation of the LRIT system, which is intended to be operational, with respect to the transmission of LRIT information by ships, from December 30, 2008.

Two resolutions were adopted, one appointing the International Mobile Satellite Organization (IMSO) as the LRIT Coordinator and one on Operation of the International LRIT Data Exchange, which agrees that the United States should continue to provide the International LRIT Data Exchange on an interim basis until December 31, 2011, while a permanent solution is sought.

The Committee approved an MSC Circular providing guidance on the application of the mandatory SOLAS provisions concerning the global LRIT system, from December 31, 2008, as well as a number of other circulars relating to the technical specifications of the LRIT system and its establishment and utilization, such as for search and rescue purposes.

Substantial progress was made in developing goal-based standards (GBS) for the construction of new bulk carriers and oil tankers. Draft SOLAS amendments to make GBS mandatory for such new ships were agreed, as were the draft international goal-based ship construction standards for bulk carriers and oil tankers, with a view to approval at MSC 86, in May 2009, and eventual adoption at MSC 87, in 2010.

Additionally, the MSC approved an MSC circular on Non-mandatory guidelines on security aspects of the operation of vessels that do not fall within the scope of SOLAS chapter XI-2 and the ISPS Code. International Code on Intact Stability, 2008 (2008 IS Code).

The 2008 IS Code provides, in a single document, both mandatory requirements and recommended provisions relating to intact stability, taking into account technical developments, in particular regarding the dynamic stability phenomena in waves, based on state-of-the-art concepts. The Code's mandatory status, under both the SOLAS Convention and the 1988 Load Lines Protocol, will significantly influence the design and the overall safety of ships.

Lastly, the MSC considered and took action on other issues arising from the reports of Sub-Committees and other bodies, as follows:

• a number of proposals on ships' routing, ship reporting and other relevant measures, all aimed at enhancing the safety of navigation in areas of identified navigational hazards and environmentally sensitive sea areas, were adopted;
• draft amendments to SOLAS regulation V/19 to make mandatory the carriage of Electronic Chart Display and Information Systems (ECDIS) and Bridge Navigational Watch Alarm Systems (BNWAS), under SOLAS chapter V, were approved, with a view to their adoption by MSC 86 in May 2009;
• a strategy for the development and implementation of e-navigation, including a framework for its implementation and a timeframe for the process, was approved; and
• a resolution on Clarification of the term "bulk carrier" and guidance for application of regulations in SOLAS to ships which occasionally carry dry cargoes in bulk and are not determined as bulk carriers in accordance with regulation XII/1.1 and chapter II-1, to clarify the definition of "bulk carrier", was adopted.

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