New Information and Regulations from the IMO for 2015

This year, two new safety regulations will take effect to improve passenger and crew safety, and an updated and revised Rescue at Sea Guide has been published.

IMO Resolution MSC 350(92)

Resulting from the Costa Concordia accident, IMO Resolution MSC 350 (92) was amended to state that all passenger muster drills are required to be undertaken before a vessel leaves any port where new passengers board the vessel. Previously, the muster drills could be completed within 25 hours of departure.

Investigations following the Concordia disaster showed that passenger ships that picked up guests at multiple ports didn’t always hold a drill for new passengers before disembarking. In the case of the Concordia disaster, in fact, some passengers had not undertaken the drill when the accident happened.

SOLAS Regulation III/19

The second regulation, SOLAS Regulation III/19, requires that enclosed space entry and rescue drills must be completed every two months. Any crew member who has responsibility for entry into an enclosed space, or the rescue from an enclosed space, must participate in these drills.

Tragedies occur after crew members have entered an enclosed space deprived of oxygen or containing toxic gasses. Past incidents have included oxygen starved holds that resulted from carrying organic cargoes like timber, wheat and logs, as well as mineral cargoes like direct reduced iron or coal, according to P&I insurer, Skuld. Additionally, accidents can happen when tanks or cargo holds are being inspected or undergoing maintenance.

According to Christian Ott, Vice President Head of Claims at the Skuld Singapore branch, “Tragically, these accidents have at times been compounded, because once it became clear that someone was in trouble, someone else rushed to help them - but without themselves first taking proper precautions and using appropriate safety equipment. On occasion a number of fatalities resulted from such an incident.”

Rescue at Sea

On January 14^th, the updated and revised Rescue at Sea: A Guide to Principles and Practice as Applied to Refugees and Migrants was published.

The informational publication was prepared jointly by the International Maritime Organization (IMO), the International Chamber of Shipping (ICS), and the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). The document provides instructions on legal provisions, measures to meet specific needs of rescued persons, and practical procedures to ensure their timely disembarkation. The guide is specifically written regarding refugees and asylum –seekers.

To read the guide in its entirety, you can follow this link.