IMO Safety Committee to Tackle Busy Agenda

IMO's Maritime Safety Committee (MSC) meets at the Organization's London HQ for its 91st session from 26 to 30 November 2012.

The busy agenda includes discussions on passenger ship safety; the adoption of amendments to the International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS); and consideration of matters related to piracy and armed robbery against ships and other items submitted by the IMO Sub-Committees.

Excerpts from items Included in the agenda:

Passenger ship safety
The MSC is expected to establish a working group on passenger ship safety to consider relevant issues, including the action plan drawn up at the last session following the Costa Concordia incident in January. 

Adoption of SOLAS amendments
Draft amendments to SOLAS regulation III/17-1 to require ships to have plans and procedures to recover persons from the water.
A draft new SOLAS regulation II-1/3-12 to require new ships to be constructed to reduce on-board noise.
Draft amendments to SOLAS regulation II-2/10 on fire fighting to require a minimum of duplicate two-way portable radiotelephone apparatus for fire fighters’ communication to be carried
SOLAS amendments to mandate enclosed-space entry and rescue drills to be approved

Piracy and armed robbery against ships
Following a high-level policy debate on arms on board ships at the last session, the MSC will review the latest statistics on piracy and armed robbery against ships and discuss current initiatives to suppress piracy and armed robbery.

Following the work done by MSC 90 to develop guidelines for private maritime security companies using armed security personnel, MSC 91 will receive an update on the progress made by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) to develop international minimum standards for the deployment of such personnel, for use by flag States if or when appropriate.