| Maritime Safety Committee - 72nd session: 17-26 May 2000 The
Maritime Safety Committee (MSC) agreed to undertake a global consideration of
safety issues pertaining to passenger ships, with particular emphasis on large
cruise ships, in response to a proposal by IMO Secretary-General, Mr. William
A. O`Neil. A
Working Group on Enhancing the Safety of Large Passenger Ships will begin work
at the next session of the Committee (MSC 73, meeting in November-December 2000),
to review the current safety regime as it relates to large passenger ships and
identify areas of concern relating to:
The
Working Group will also identify the potential risks facing future large passenger
ships and develop a draft work programme for the Committee and its subsidiary
bodies to address safety concerns. The
proposal to review large passenger ship safety was presented to IMO by the Secretary-General
in a paper, entitled Enhancing the safety of large passenger ships. In
the paper, Mr.O`Neil noted the achievements of the shipbuilding and ancillary
industries in delivering gigantic cruise ships embodying state-of-the-art technology. He
said the safety of such ships was not in doubt, nor was there concern that such
vessels met the most recently adopted safety standards applicable to ships of
this category - particularly those standards in the International Convention
for the Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS). However,
"what merits due consideration is whether SOLAS and, to the extent applicable,
the Load Line Convention requirements, several of which were drafted before
some of these large ships were built, duly address all the safety aspects of
their operation – in particular, in emergency situations. Also, whether
the training requirements of the [International Convention on Standards of Training,
Certification and Watchkeeping for Seafarers] STCW Convention relating to personnel
operating large cruise ships are in need of any review or clarification in the
circumstances." The
paper noted that according to statistical information, there were, at present,
47 passenger ships of 50,000 gross tonnage* and above, built between 1961 and
1999, totalling 3,324,853 gross tonnage, capable of carrying 106,484 passengers
and 38,389 crew members. Of these, 42 passenger ships, totalling 2,987,889 gross
tonnage and being capable of carrying 96,075 passengers and 34,439 crew members
were built since 1990; their average gross tonnage is 71,140, while their average
capacity is 2,287 passengers and 819 crew members or 3,106 persons on board. Ro-ro
passenger ships only to fit helicopter landing area The
Committee adopted an amendment to SOLAS Chapter III, regulation 28.2 for helicopter
landing areas to require a helicopter landing area only for ro-ro passenger
ships. The
amendment will enter into force under tacit acceptance on 1 January 2002. The
current regulation requires helicopter landing areas to be fitted to all passenger
ships of 130 metres in length and upwards constructed on or after 1 July 1999
but the Committee agreed at its last session this should apply to ro-ro passenger
ships only. The
decision to review the existing requirement was made at the 70th session following
trial applications of Formal Safety Assessment (FSA) to the requirement. The
original requirement was part of a package of amendments to SOLAS adopted in
November 1995, based on proposals put forward by a Panel of Experts set up by
IMO in December 1994 following the Ro-ro ferry Estonia disaster
of September 1994 in which more than 850 people were killed. Regulation
28.1 of SOLAS Chapter III requires all ro-ro passenger ships to be provided
with a helicopter pick-up area and existing ro-ro passenger ships were required
to comply with this regulation not later than the first periodical survey after
1 July 1997. The requirement for a helicopter landing area for all passenger
ships of 130 metres in length and upwards was deferred to 1 July 1999. MSC/Circ.907
on Application of SOLAS regulation III/28.2 concerning helicopter landing
areas on non ro-ro passenger ships issued in May 1999 recommended that non
ro-ro passenger ships of 130 m in length and upwards constructed on or
after 1 July 1999 need not be fitted with helicopter landing areas, and this
should not constitute a reason for detaining or delaying the ship - since there
was a delay between the regulation coming into effect for new ships and the
adoption of the amendment making it applicable to ro-ro passenger ships only.
AIS and VDRs to be required under new draft SOLAS Chapter V The
Committee approved the revised draft text of Chapter V (Safety of Navigation)
and instructed the Secretariat to circulate it with a view to adoption at the
next session (MSC 73, 27 November-6 December 2000). The
revised Chapter includes 35 regulations, against the current 23 introducing
new requirements for navigational equipment and taking into account advances
in technology. It is expected that the new Chapter will enter into force, under
tacit acceptance, on 1 July 2002, although the exact date will be decided at
MSC 73. The
new chapter, when it comes into force, will make it mandatory for ships to carry
an automatic identification system (AIS). It is expected that these will be
mandatory on new ships built on or after 1 July 2002 and will be phased in on
existing ships between 1 July 2002 and 1 July 2008. The dates will be finalised
at the next session. AISs can be used in conjunction with ship reporting systems
and enable the ship's identity and other details to be given to the shore authorities
automatically. The
new Chapter V will also include requirements for ships to be fitted with voyage
data recorders (VDRs). There was general agreement that these should be fitted
to all new ships and to existing ro-ro and passenger ships. But there was no
consensus regarding carriage requirements for existing cargo ships and this
issue will have to be decided at MSC 73. The
revised Chapter V will permit an Electronic Chart Display and Information System
(ECDIS) to be accepted as meeting the chart carriage requirements for paper
nautical charts. New
and amended routeing systems and mandatory ship reporting systems The
Committee adopted the following:
IMDG
Code gets "user-friendly" overhaul The
Committee adopted a revised and reformatted International Maritime Dangerous
Goods (IMDG) Code, which is intended to be more user-friendly and understandable. "Amendment
30" to the IMDG Code involves the complete reformatting of the IMDG Code
as well as revisions to various sections of the Code and to transport requirements
for specific substances. The reformatted IMDG Code will enter into force on
1 January 2001, with a 12 month transitional period ending 31 December 2001. The
reformatted IMDG Code includes seven parts, two appendices and an index:
The
present Code appears in four volumes, but the reformatted Code will appear in
two volumes: one covering Parts 1, 2, 4, 5, 6 and 7; the second incorporating
Part 3, the two Appendices and the Index. The
Committee agreed to hold further discussions at the next session on whether
the IMDG Code - or parts of it - should be made mandatory. Under
SOLAS Chapter VII on Carriage of Dangerous Goods, the International Bulk Chemical
Code (IBC Code) and the International Gas Carrier Code (IGC Code) are mandatory,
and referred to in the regulations of the chapter, but the IMDG Code is only
referred to in a footnote. In
MARPOL Annex III, covering Regulations for the Prevention of Pollution by Harmful
Substances carried in Packaged Form, the IMDG Code is also referred to. Revised
STCW - implementation reviewed The
Committee reviewed progress in the implementation of the revised International
Convention on Standards of Training, Certification and Watchkeeping for Seafarers
(STCW), in particular the evaluation of information by STCW Parties relating
to compliance with the Convention. The
information is being reviewed by panels of competent persons, who will report
on their findings to the IMO Secretary-General, who will, in turn, report to
the Committee on the Parties which fully comply. By
the 1 August 1998 deadline for submission of information, 82 out of
the 133 STCW Parties had communicated information on implementation of the requirements
of the revised Convention. The 82 Parties which met the deadline represent
well over 90% of the world's ships and seafarers. By
15 May 2000, 42 panels of competent persons had completed their work on assessing
information sent to IMO by Parties to the Convention. A further 40 panels had
completed their initial evaluations and requested clarification from the Parties
concerned. Clarifications had been provided by 32 and replies were still awaited
from eight Parties. In
order to meet deadlines for submission of documents to the next, 73rd,
session of the MSC (scheduled for 27 November to 6 December 2000), the work
of the panels needed to be completed by mid-August. The
Committee agreed that the Secretary-General should notify, by 1 October 2000,
those Parties whose panels had failed to complete their evaluations and that
he should submit a status report to MSC 73 by 16 October 2000 on the progress
made by the panels, indicating the reasons why the panel(s) were not able to
complete their work. Furthermore, the Secretary-General should be prepared at
MSC 73 to distribute the report on compliance with STCW if the Committee determined
that all reasonable efforts had been made to complete the work. The
Committee approved MSC/Circ.948 on Preparation of reports pursuant to STCW
regulation I/7, paragraph 2, which urges Parties to the STCW Convention,
to respond to requests for clarifications without undue delay and sets out the
proposed plan of action for MSC 73. Amendments
to STCW Code adopted The
Committee adopted amendments to part B of the STCW Code, including clarification
of provisions in the Code. The amendments include a table listing certificates
or documentary evidence required under the STCW Convention and a table of differences
between STCW certification requirements and STCW 95 certification requirements.
The
amendments to the STCW Code are to be disseminated via an STCW Circular (STCW.6/Circ.5). The
Committee also approved the following:
Research
study on unlawful practices linked to seafarer certificates The
Committee received an update on an IMO research study to establish the nature
and extent of unlawful practices associated with certificates of competency.
Evidence gathered so far for the study, being carried out by the Seafarers International
Research Centre, Cardiff, United Kingdom suggests the problem may be more widespread
than initially thought. Over
the period January to May 2000, the research team collected data from seafarers,
employers, unions and officials in national Administrations, and made visits
to Administrations in Northern Europe and major labour-supplying countries in
South and South East Asia. Approximately
half of the seafarers interviewed from the labour-supplying countries in the
South and South East Asia region had reported first-hand experience or knowledge
of unlawful practices associated with certificates among officers and crew with
whom they had sailed. Established malpractice between manning agents and training
institutes had been reported, although the team had also obtained evidence of
collusion by officials in the issuing of genuine certificates through unlawful
means. The
next phase of the research project will involve visits to major flag States
and labour-supplying countries in Eastern and Southern Europe, Latin America,
the Mediterranean region and South East Asia. Further
information on the study can be obtained from the Seafarers International Research
Centre (SIRC), web site: http://www.cf.ac.uk/uwcc/masts/. High-Speed
Craft to get new Code 2000 The
Committee approved a draft new International Code for High Speed Craft, 2000,
with a view to its adoption at MSC 73. It is intended that the Code will apply
to all HSC built after the date of entry into force, likely to be 1 July 2002.
The
original HSC Code was adopted by IMO in May 1994, but the rapid pace of development
in this sector of shipping has meant an early revision of the Code. The original
Code will continue to apply to existing HSC. The
changes incorporated in the new Code are intended to bring it into line with
amendments to SOLAS and new recommendations that have been adopted in the past
four years - for example, requirements covering public address systems and helicopter
pick-up areas. Consequential
amendments to SOLAS Chapter X (Safety measures for high-speed craft) - to refer
to the new Code - were also approved. Revised
SOLAS chapter II-2 and Fire Safety Systems Code approved The
Committee approved a draft new revised SOLAS chapter II-2 (Construction - Fire
protection, fire detection and fire extinction and its related Fire Safety Systems
Code, with a view to its adoption by MSC 73 in December 2000, with entry into
force in 2002. The
revised chapter is intended to be clear, concise and user-friendly, incorporating
the substantial changes introduced in recent years following a number of serious
fire casualties. The
draft revised chapter includes seven parts, each including requirements applicable
to all or specified ship types, while the Fire Safety Systems (FSS) Code, which
will be made mandatory under the new chapter, includes detailed specifications
for fire safety systems in 15 Chapters. Asbestos
to be prohibited on new ships - new regulation approved The
Committee approved a new regulation prohibiting the new installation
of materials which contain asbestos on all ships. The new regulation 3-5 will
be included in SOLAS Chapter II-1 (Construction - Structure, Subdivision and
stability, machinery and electrical installations) and is intended to be adopted
at MSC 73 in December 2000 with entry into force in 2002. The
proposed regulation states that "for all ships, new installation of
materials which contain asbestos shall be prohibited except for: The
MSC reviewed a preliminary draft text of a code of practice/instrument for the
investigation and prosecution of the crime of piracy and armed robbery against
ships. The Committee agreed the Correspondence Group which developed it should
continue its work, with a view to finalizing the draft instrument for adoption
at MSC 73. The
idea for such a code/instrument was developed during 1998-1999 at a series of
expert missions and seminars and workshops around the world organized by IMO. Participants
at the seminars recommended that Governments need to intensify their efforts
to combat piracy and armed robbery against ships and IMO should consider developing
an international code for the investigation of piracy and armed robbery against
ships and recommending prosecution and an appropriate punishment for the crime. Enhanced
inspection guidelines amended The
Committee approved draft amendments to Assembly resolution A.744(18) on Guidelines
on the enhanced programme of inspections during surveys of bulk carriers and
oil tankers with a view to their adoption at MSC 73. The
amendments include detailed requirements for the evaluation of the longitudinal
strength of the hull girder of oil tankers; and an amendment to make mandatory
the inspection of the outside of the ship’s bottom during dry-dock surveys
of oil tankers and bulk carriers of 15 years of age and above. Bulk
carrier safety - Working Group reviews submissions A
Working Group on Bulk Carrier Safety reviewed submissions relating to bulk carrier
safety made in the light of the 1998 report on the sinking of the bulk carrier
Derbyshire in 1980 with the loss of 44 lives, presented at the 69th session
of the MSC in May 1998 by the United Kingdom. The
submissions included the results of seakeeping tests on models of bulk carriers
to determine green sea loads on hatch covers and deck wetness carried out by
the United Kingdom, and information submitted by the International Association
of Classification Societies (IACS). The
Committee agreed to instruct the Sub-Committee on Stability and Load Lines and
on Fishing Vessel Safety (SLF) to further review the current submissions in
the context of that Sub-committee's ongoing review of issues arising from the
Derbyshire report - these include: strength of hatch covers and coamings;
freeboard and bow height; reserve buoyancy at fore end, including forecastles;
structural means to reduce loads on hatch covers and forward structure; and
fore deck and fore end access. The
SLF Sub-Committee next meets in September 2000. FSA
study on bulk carrier safety The
Committee reviewed progress in carrying out a formal safety assessment (FSA)
study on bulk carrier safety through a collaborative effort outside IMO under
the co-ordination of the United Kingdom. The Committee also reviewed progress
in an independent FSA study on bulk carrier safety being conducted by Japan;
and the results of a Hazard Identification study on watertight integrity of
the fore end of bulk carriers carried out by IACS. FSA
is described as a rational and systematic process for assessing the risks associated
with any sphere of activity, and for evaluating the costs and benefits of different
options for reducing those risks. It therefore enables, in its potential application
to the rule making process, an objective assessment to be made of the need for,
and content of, safety regulations. FSA
consists of five steps: identification of hazards (a list of all relevant accident
scenarios with potential causes and outcomes); assessment of risks (evaluation
of risk factors); risk control options (devising regulatory measures to control
and reduce the identified risks); cost benefit assessment (determining cost
effectiveness of each risk control option); and recommendations for decision-making
(information about the hazards, their associated risks and the cost effectiveness
of alternative risk control options is provided). With
regard to the collaborative FSA study, the project is currently working on ranking
the hazards associated with bulk carriers in order to identify the most important
hazards to be considered in detail. A combined list of over 150 hazards associated
with over 800 initiating causes has been developed from submissions from international
participating organizations. Further
information on the FSA collaborative project can be found on the project website
at http://www.fsa.mcga.gov.uk Amendment
to Form of Cargo Ship Certificates adopted The
Committee adopted an amendment to the Safety Construction Certificate and the
Cargo Ship Safety Equipment Certificate given in the appendix to the Annex to
the International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea, 1974, to include
"Bulk Carrier" to be listed under "Type of Ship". The
amendment follows the adoption in 1997 of a new SOLAS chapter XII (Additional
safety measures for bulk carriers) to SOLAS. A
similar amendment was adopted to the appendix to the Annex to the 1988 SOLAS
Protocol - to include "bulk carrier" under "type of ship". The
amendments will enter into force under tacit acceptance on 1 January 2002. LIST
OF CIRCULARS APPROVED BY MSC 72 MSC/Circ.952
MSC/Circ.955
MSC/Circ.956
MSC/Circ.964
MSC/Circ.965
MSC/Circ.966
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