IMO Assembly 23 - Places of Refuge, State Audit Scheme and Ship Recycling

January 2004

From IMO Briefing 38 2003, 18 December 2003:

IMO Assembly - 23rd session: 24 November- 5 December 2003

Resolutions on places of refuge, audit scheme and ship recycling adopted at IMO Assembly.

Places of Refuge 

New Guidelines on places of refuge for ships in need of assistance were adopted. These guidelines are intended for use when a ship is in need of assistance but the safety of life is not involved. Where the safety of life is involved, the provisions of the SAR (Search and Rescue) Convention should continue to be followed.

The guidelines recognize that, when a ship has suffered an incident, the best way of preventing damage or pollution from its progressive deterioration is to transfer its cargo and bunkers, and to repair the casualty. Such an operation is best carried out in a place of refuge. However, to bring such a ship into a place of refuge near a coast may endanger the coastal State, both economically and from the environmental point of view, and local authorities and populations may strongly object to the operation.

Therefore, granting access to a place of refuge could involve a political decision which can only be taken on a case-by-case basis. In so doing, consideration would need to be given to balancing the interests of the affected ship with those of the environment.

IMO webpage:  Places of Refuge

A second resolution, Maritime Assistance Service (MAS), recommends that all coastal States should establish a maritime assistance service (MAS). The principal purposes would be to receive the various reports, consultations and notifications required in a number of IMO instruments; monitoring a ship's situation if such a report indicates that an incident may give rise to a situation whereby the ship may be in need of assistance; serving as the point of contact if the ship's situation is not a distress situation but nevertheless requires exchanges of information between the ship and the coastal State, and for serving as the point of contact between those involved in a marine salvage operation undertaken by private facilities if the coastal State considers that it should monitor all phases of the operation.

IMO Member State Audit Scheme 

The Assembly resolution "Voluntary IMO Member State Audit Scheme" approved the establishment and further development of the scheme, to be implemented on a voluntary basis. It requests the IMO Council to develop, as a matter of high priority, procedures and other modalities for the implementation of the scheme.

The proposed IMO Member State Audit Scheme will be designed to help promote maritime safety and environmental protection by assessing how effectively Member States implement and enforce relevant IMO Convention standards, and by providing them with feedback and advice on their current performance.

Ship Recycling

The Assembly adopted Guidelines on Ship Recycling, which have been developed to give advice to all stakeholders in the recycling process, including administrations of ship building and maritime equipment supplying countries, flag, port and recycling States, as well as intergovernmental organizations and commercial bodies such as shipowners, ship builders, repairers and recycling yards.

The guidelines note that, in the process of recycling ships, virtually nothing goes to waste. The materials and equipment are almost entirely reused. Steel is reprocessed to become, for instance, reinforcing rods for use in the construction industry or as corner castings and hinges for containers. Ships' generators are reused ashore. Batteries find their way into the local economy. Hydrocarbons on board become reclaimed oil products to be used as fuel in rolling mills or brick kilns. Light fittings find further use on land. Furthermore, new steel production from recycled steel requires only one third of the energy used for steel production from raw materials. Recycling thus makes a positive contribution to the global conservation of energy and resources and, in the process, employs a large, if predominantly unskilled, workforce. Properly handled, ship recycling is, without question, a "green" industry.

However, the guidelines recognize that, although the principle of ship recycling may be sound, the working practices and environmental standards in the yards often leave much to be desired. While ultimate responsibility for conditions in the yards has to lie with the countries in which they are situated, other stakeholders must be encouraged to contribute towards minimising potential problems in the yards.

Conferences approved 

The Assembly approved the holding of the following Conferences to adopt new or amend existing regulations:

- Conference to adopt a new International Convention for the Control and Management of Ships' Ballast Water and Sediments, to be held 9-13 February 2004.

- One Legal Conference to be held in the biennium 2004-2005 - this will adopt either revisions to the Convention for the Suppression of Unlawful Acts against the Safety of Maritime Navigation, 1988, and its Protocol of 1988 relating to Fixed Platforms Located on the Continental Shelf (SUA Convention and Protocol), or a new Wreck Removal Convention.

Assembly resolutions included:

A.946(23) Voluntary IMO Member State Audit Scheme 

A.947(23) Human element vision, principles and goals for the Organization 

A.948(23) Revised survey guidelines under the Harmonized System of Survey and Certification 

A.949(23) Guidelines on places of refuge for ships in need of assistance 

A.950(23) Maritime Assistance Services (MAS) 

A.951(23) Improved guidelines for marine portable fire extinguishers 

A.952(23) Graphical symbols for shipboard fire control plans 

A.953(23) World-wide radio navigation system 

A.954(23) Proper use of VHF channels at sea 

A.955(23) Amendments to the principles of safe manning (Resolution A.890(21)) 

A.956(23) Amendments to the guidelines for the onboard operational use of shipborne Automatic Identification Systems (AIS) (Resolution A.917(22) 

A.957(23) Amended Traffic Separation Scheme "Off Finisterre" 

A.958(23) Provision of hydrographic services 

A.959(23) Format and guidelines for the maintenance of the Continuous Synopsis Record (CSR) 

A.960(23) Recommendations on training and certification and operational procedures for maritime pilots other than deep-sea pilots 

A.961(23) Wider acceptance of the Protocol of 1988 relating to the International Convention on Load Lines, 1966 

A.962(23) IMO Guidelines on ship recycling 

A.963(23) IMO Policies and practices related to the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions from ships 

Background 

The Assembly normally meets once every two years. All 163 Member States and three Associate Members are entitled to attend as are the intergovernmental organizations with which agreements of co-operation have been concluded and non-governmental organizations which have consultative status with IMO.

IMO - the International Maritime Organization - is the United Nations specialized agency with responsibility for the safety and security of shipping and the prevention of marine pollution by ships. Click here for the IMO website.

For further information please contact: Lee Adamson, Senior External Relations Officer on 020 7587 3153 ([email protected]) or Natasha Brown, External Relations Officer on 020 7587 3274 ([email protected]).