SAFETY
IMO safety regulation Following our longstanding concerns over the unacceptable level of equipment failures and fatalities in lifeboat drills; new lifeboat hook design requirements and revisions to the IMO Life Saving Appliances Code will be applied in mid-2014. This follows a long-term campaign to which the Chamber contributed through the International Chamber of Shipping (ICS). Further safety benefits include a decision at the IMO to permit simulated launches of freefall boats. New and widely acceptable standards for passenger ship tenders are under development after positive cooperation between industry and flag states. Work on passenger ship safety at IMO
continues on several fronts. Notably, Chamber members’ concerns about the importance of the Stockholm Agreement on stability of roll on / roll off vessels are being actively pursued. Requirements to enable passenger ships to return safely to port under their own power after an accident are still being developed, with emphasis upon the provision of information to the master, assisting his decision to return or evacuate the ship. We are working to ensure there are no counter-productive consequences of the technical implications of this enhancement of passenger safety. Of greater concern are proposals for vehicle
transport decks that may contain gas-fuelled vehicles. On roll on / roll off vessels, provision of enhanced electrical equipment, complex sensors and expanded fire-fighting capacity would have limited benefits and present severe difficulties in implementation. We
14 SAFETY
Safety has remained a high priority, with the Chamber campaigning for certainty on the future of the coastguard and emergency towing vessels, and for effective offshore regulations where the UK and North Sea safety regimes continue to lead the way.
ON ROLL ON / ROLL OFF
VESSELS, PROVISION OF ENHANCED ELECTRICAL EQUIPMENT, COMPLEX SENSORS AND EXPANDED FIRE- FIGHTING CAPACITY WOULD HAVE LIMITED BENEFITS AND PRESENT SEVERE DIFFICULTIES IN IMPLEMENTATION
are actively campaigning on this issue and the UK government is supportive of our position. Limited IMO support for UK proposals to
facilitate the use of composite materials in ship construction is worrying. Nonetheless, we continue to highlight the potential advantages of developing the safe use of these technologies. These include weight savings, greater flexibility in design and potentially increased longevity with associated environmental benefits. A rules-for-rules system of ‘goal-based
standards’ has been made mandatory for oil tankers and bulk carriers, placing a greater emphasis on the classification of society’s role in regulation. Classification society rules are also providing inspiration for the development of a ‘polar code’ to govern safety and environmental standards of ships trading within polar regions, including those exploiting the opening of the North West Passage. We remain involved in the IMO’s e-Navigation
correspondence group and have submitted a proposal for gap analysis of risk control options to the IMO’s Radio-Communications and Search and Rescue sub-committee for debate.
Electronic chart display equipment The Chamber met the International Hydrographic Office (IHO) and UK administration to review navigational incidents related to electronic chart display equipment (ECDIS). Initial research identified that some equipment had out-of-date or incompatible software, resulting in anomalies
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