CHANGING COURSE

With the decision to introduce a new inspection regime, the Paris MOU will be changing course to a system of risk based profiling of ships to be inspected.

Measures implemented in July of 2003 are showing results and have made it increasingly difficult for “rust buckets” to operate in the region. For the 4^th year in a row the detention rates have dropped indicating that the strategy of the Paris MOU on Port State Control is paying off.

The meeting of Ministers of the Paris and Tokyo Memoranda in Vancouver at the end of 2004 has underlined the political determination to strengthen the “Circle of Responsibility”, in which all parties of the maritime industry are held accountable for safer shipping, according to the 2004 report from the Paris Memorandum.

The determined efforts by the 20 members of the Memorandum, taken in harmony with initiatives of the European Commission, have now demonstrated Port State Control to be an effective tool against the operation of sub-standard ships in the region. While the number of detained ships dropped from 1,764 to 1,187 over the last 5 years, new initiatives are already underway to enhance the deterrent against ships, shipping companies, flags and recognized organizations which are not committed to maritime safety.

Richard Schiferli, General Secretary said: “The decision by the Committee to introduce a new inspection regime focussed on risk based profiling of ships, and the agreement to include all ship types under the banning regime for multiple detentions, will introduce the most significant changes in policy since the inception of the Memorandum.

A key proposal is that ships with a good safety record will only be inspected every 2 years, thereby reducing the inspection burden for responsible operators, taking account of a long standing wish from the industry. At the same time ships with a high risk profile can expect determined control measures on a more frequent basis. Whereas banning for multiple detentions is now only aimed at certain ship types, this measure will include all ship types in the future under a more stringent regime”.

On 2-3 November 2004 Ministers responsible for maritime safety met for the 2nd Joint Ministerial Conference of the Paris and Tokyo MOUs at the invitation of Canada in Vancouver. They called for strengthening of ties between the Memoranda and gave political endorsement to more effective action against sub-standard ships. Many decisions by the Ministers will require further action from the respective Committees of both MOUs.

In an effort to continue a dialogue with the industry, the Paris Memorandum invited representatives to a high level forum titled “Commitment through Partnerships”. This new initiative, opened by the Netherlands’ Minister of Transport Karla Peijs in The Hague, established an open exchange of views and created a platform for public-private partnerships. The forum was well attended by bankers, insurers, shipping companies, charterers, classification societies, industry organizations and others. Several representatives committed themselves to a partnership in order to support the development of learning tools for Port State Control Officers.

With the enlargement of the European Union, the Paris MOU will also extend its membership in the near future closing some “white spots” in the geographical scope. The agreement has been extended to 6 co-operating members who are undergoing an assessment in order to achieve full memberships in the coming years.

According to Schiferli: “Working together with these maritime administrations has been very successful since none of them is now on the ‘Black List’ ”.

This year also marked the entry into force of measures to enhance maritime security. Inspectors were well prepared after special training courses and guidelines developed within the Memorandum. Taking a pragmatic approach a Harmonized Verification Programme was started on 1 July 2004, in a joint effort with the Tokyo MOU. Results have indicated that compliance with the ISPS Code was better than anticipated. Although many ships were detained in the initial month due to certification problems, no major security risks were encountered.

In the last quarter of 2004 a Concentrated Inspection Campaign was held to verify compliance with ILO standards for working and living conditions and hours of work and rest. The campaign revealed that more than 40% of the ships inspected had deficiencies in at least one of the selected inspections areas.

A total 21 ships were detained for ILO matters. Most ILO deficiencies were found in the areas of food storage, condition of the galley, sanitary facilities and hospital accommodation. Special attention was also aimed at the implementation of the Seafarer’s Hours of Work and the Manning of Ships Convention, 1996 (No. 180). In almost 50% of all inspections deficiencies were found related to working arrangements.