Substandard Shipping News

The IMO’s Legal Committee has approved a new set of guidelines to improve transparency and due diligence in ship registration, as well as prevent fraudulent registrations and misuse of flags. The guidelines help to close a key regulatory gap for the maritime industry, given there is currently no binding international framework to regulate the registration of ships. The newly approved Guidelines will assist new and existing flag State ship registries by providing practical measures to strengthen verification and due diligence…

The International Maritime Organization (IMO) has adopted crucial new guidelines to protect seafarers from unfair treatment when detained in foreign jurisdictions in connection with alleged crimes committed at sea. The guidelines, adopted by the Legal Committee during its meeting in London from 24 to 28 March, aim to protect seafarers’ rights and ensure they are treated with fairness and dignity, no matter where they are in the world. Key aspects of the guidelines relate to due process…

The safety risks posed by unregulated oil tankers are rising, and the so-called shadow fleet is a threat to both the maritime environment and seafarers, the head of the United Nations' shipping agency said on Tuesday.The shadow fleet refers to hundreds of ships used by Russia to move oil, in violation of international restrictions imposed on it over the Ukraine war, as well as by oil exporters such as Iran and Venezuela hit by U.S. sanctions.At least 65 oil tankers dropped anchor this week at multiple locations, including off the coasts of China and Russia, since the United States announced a new sanctions package on Jan. 10."The risk is growing in relation to the environmental impact and the safety of the seafarers as the shadow fleet grows…

In a bid to harmonize port state control inspection procedures that will lead to the elimination of substandard shipping in the West and Central Africa sub-region, the Abuja Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) will host its 3rd Ministerial Conference and 9th Port state Control Committee Meeting with the aim of developing a unified system of Port State Control inspection procedure for the region. The Memorandum of Understanding on Port State Control for West and Central African Region generally referred to as Abuja MoU is one of the 9 Regional MoUs and national MoU established pursuant to IMO Resolution A.682 (17) of 1991. The Organization operates under a Cooperative Agreement with the IMO.

International Maritime Organization (IMO) Secretary-General Kitack Lim has stressed the vital importance of collaborative efforts to leave ‘no hiding place’ for substandard shipping. Lim was addressing the third Joint Ministerial Conference of the Paris and Tokyo Memoranda of Understanding on Port State Control in Vancouver, Canada (May 3-4). Port State Control is the mechanism that enables officials from a port state to board and inspect foreign-flag ships to ensure they comply with the necessary safety and environmental regulations. By sharing information and data and adopting uniform operational procedures, regional Port State Control organizations can make it harder for sub-standards ships to slip through their net.

The U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) has placed the International Register of Shipping (IRS) in the top bracket of those recognized organizations (RO) that consistently achieve zero detentions for its registered vessels for the third time in just six years. IRS notes its strong performance reported by the USCG in its Annual Report 2014 follows the completion of performance audits by the Tokyo Memorandum of Understanding and the Panama government. IRS passed the Panama audit without any major non-conformances or the need for a follow-up audit, placing the classification society amongst leading industry ROs, including the American Bureau of Shipping, Lloyd’s Register and DNV GL.

Jamaica is backing a pledge by the Secretary General of the International Maritime Organization (IMO) to half the number of lives lost at sea by 2015. Mr. Koji Sekimizu has made reducing maritime casualties a key aim of his term of office. IMO figures put the number of lives lost at sea in 2012 at approximately 1,000, including 500 in international shipping. Rear Admiral Peter Brady, Director General of the Maritime Authority of Jamaica, said, “We fully endorse the Secretary General’s aims and will do all we can to assist him to achieve his target.

Seafarers need to take an active role in helping the international community to win the battle against substandard shipping. That’s the message from the Maritime Authority of Jamaica (MAJ) on the international Day of the Seafarer today (June 25). As the maritime industry celebrates the contribution of seafarers to the world economy and commerce, the MAJ is urging seafarers to assess the quality of the employers for whom they choose to work and become more involved in ensuring that their own welfare issues are adequately addressed.

INTERTANKO's Managing Director, Peter Swift participated as a speaker and panelist in the 4th International "Substandard Shipping - Solution Through Partnership" seminar held this week in St. Petersburg. The seminar, sponsored by the Russian Maritime Register of Shipping, had as its theme "Implementation - Key Factor of Maritime Safety and Pollution Prevention". Organisations represented included the IMO, the EC, international shipowner associations and insurers, regional and international maritime registrations, shipowners and academics. Throughout the two days of meetings much attention was paid to thefailure of many states to ratify and/or implement Marpol and other key legislation…

The role of vessel classification societies continues to change dramatically. As the role and relevance of class is hotly debated, MR/EN picked the brains of the industry's major classification societies to analyze both their individual and collective future. If class is to remain relevant, it must remake itself for the modern world, says ABS president and CEO Robert D. Somerville. He recently told delegates to the World Maritime Forum in St. Petersburg, Russia that "self regulation will continue to provide an effective method for establishing and enforcing standards only if all elements of the industry recognize that substantive overhaul is needed." Somerville highlighted the remarkable…

One of the numerous provisions in the December 2002 amendments to the International Convention on the Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS Convention) requires ships subject to the Convention to maintain a continuous synopsis record as of July 1, 2004. All is not going smoothly though. Owners and operators should prepare to take individual action prior to the deadline. The continuous synopsis record is intended to provide an on-board record of the history of the ship. m. The date on which the ship ceased to be registered with that nation. Any changes relating to entries in the continuous synopsis record are to be made by the flag administration within three months and provided to the ship so that the information remains current.

The European Commission decided to lodge a complaint to the Court of Justice against Finland for failure to respect EU legislation on Port State control of shipping. The aim of the infringed legislation is to reduce substandard shipping in the waters under the jurisdiction of Member States by increasing compliance with international and Community legislation. "This Directive is one of the pillars of our maritime safety legislation and we very much hope that Finland will take the necessary measures as soon as possible," Vice-President Loyola de Palacio said. "This is particularly important as the Baltic Sea would not survive an Erika disaster", she added.

"The loss of the Erika has focused the legislators, politicians, classification societies, owners, charterers and the media on the responsibilities of the individuals involved with the operation of ships and those that perform the inspections to maintain safety", said Alan Gavin, Marine Director, Lloyd's Register (LR), speaking at the Tanker Safety Conference, London, recently. Speaking of LR's own perspective on the issue, Gavin continued, "LR has always been committed to promoting high standards of safety, quality and environmental protection within the shipping industry. This pledge is enshrined in LR's constitution and is demonstrated by its commitment to maintaining a high quality classed fleet.

Reductions in Port State Control Examinations and streamlined inspection procedures are among the rewards that await the owners of non-U.S. registered commercial vessels that call on U.S. ports - if they measure up in a new quality incentive program established by the U.S. Coast Guard (USCG). The program was announced today at a shipping conference in Athens, Greece, per Rear Admiral Robert North, assistant Coast Guard Commandant for Marine Safety and Environmental Protection. Dubbed Qualship 21, the incentive program, which is part of the USCG effort to eliminate substandard shipping and reward high-quality vessels, is also being considered for U.S. registered vessels.

The Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA) figures released this month show that 125 ships from a total number of 2,926 inspected during the period January to December 2000 were detained. Of these, LR showed a lower detention rate (2.6%*) than other major societies. "AMSA is widely recognized as having a rigorous port state control system in place," said LR's marine director Alan Gavin. LR's stance on substandard shipping was publicly reinforced on many occasions last year, making it clear to owners that where they cannot or will not maintain their ships to an acceptable standard, there is no place for such ships in LR's class fleet. LR continues to target ships suspected of falling below acceptable standards, for unscheduled inspections.

The Marshall Islands can confirm that all vessels on its ships register affected by Phase II of the International Safety Management (ISM) code were in full compliance ahead of the July 1 deadline. Those vessels registered with the Marshall Islands that do not comply with ISM are exempt by virtue of the Safety Of Life At Sea (SOLAS) compliance definitions, are in lay-up or have been foreign bareboat charter registered in another flag-state jurisdiction. The 2001 annual report of the Paris Memorandum of Understanding on Port State Control (Paris MOU) has put the safety records of flag states back in the spotlight once again when it showed that safety management deficiencies on vessels have risen by 150% in three years.

International Registries, Inc. (IRI), the Maritime and Corporate Administrator of the Republic of the Marshall Islands, learned of its continued United States Coast Guard (USCG) Qualship 21 status last week. This marks the third consecutive year that the Marshall Islands Registry has maintained its listing status with the USCG’s Qualship 21 initiative. The Qualship 21 program was initiated by the USCG in January 2001 to motivate the industry to eliminate substandard shipping. This initiative provides positive rewards to high-quality ships from qualifying registries. These rewards range from a two-year certificate of compliance for tankers with less thorough mid-period exams to two years of limited Port State Control (PSC) oversight for freighters.

The Liberian Registry has been admitted to the United States Coast Guard’s Qualship 21 quality incentive program– a distinction enjoyed by only ten percent of foreign-flagged ships calling at U.S. ports - as a result of its excellent port state control record. This recognition of Liberia’s commitment to quality shipping comes at a time of growth and expansion for the registry, which has grown by more than 500 vessels under the management of the U.S.-based Liberian International Ship & Corporate Registry (LISCR).Reductions in port state control examinations and streamlined inspection procedures are among the benefits available under the Qualship 21(Quality Shipping for the 21st Century) program to owners of non-U.S.-registered ships calling at U.S.

The European Commission sent reasoned opinions – the last step before lodging a case to the Court of Justice – to Italy and Malta for failure to respect EU legislation on port State control of shipping. Latvia was also sent a reasoned opinion for failure to transpose into national law EU legislation on maritime safety and the prevention of pollution by ships. “While the European Commission has just adopted a third set of measures to reinforce maritime safety, I am deeply concerned that some countries still have not implemented properly legislation on Port State control that dates back to 2002”, said Vice-President Jacques Barrot in charge of transport.

The role of vessel classification societies continues to change dramatically. As the role and relevance of class is hotly debated, MR/EN picked the brains of the industry's major classification societies to analyze both their individual and collective future. If class is to remain relevant, it must remake itself for the modern world, says ABS president and CEO Robert D. Somerville. He recently told delegates to the World Maritime Forum in St. Petersburg, Russia that "self regulation will continue to provide an effective method for establishing and enforcing standards only if all elements of the industry recognize that substantive overhaul is needed." Somerville highlighted the remarkable…

A group of 41 oil majors will make their tanker inspection reports available to port examiners in Europe. They also aim to ensure higher standards for their shared reporting system as part of a raft of initiatives to ensure greater tanker safety in the wake of the Erika incident. "We have been in recent discussions with the Paris MOU secretariat with a view to making SIRE reports more easily available to port state inspectors," Oil Companies International Marine Forum (OCIMF) Chairman Richard Paniguian said at a news briefing in London. SIRE (ship inspection reports) do not pass or fail vessels on structural issues but concern operating standards. The Paris MOU is Europe's agreement by which unsafe ships are detained by individual countries' port-based inspectors until repaired.