Yemen, Sri Lanka stay on Joint War Committee list Sea Views

Despite its post-Limburg and USS Cole efforts Yemen has failed to gain removal from the list of around 20 high-risk marine areas compiled by the Joint War Committee that represents the interests of the Lloyd's Market Association and International Underwriting Association of London.

Sri Lanka has also been added to the list, following the recent overspill of conflict that has been impacting on marine risk in the region and with the Port of Colombo a major transhipment point for Indian cargo shippers are bracing themselves for a sharp rise in annual insurance premiums.

Talks on satellite tracking progress

At the 81st session of the International Maritime Organisation's Safety Committee, held in London from May 10 to 19, major proposals were adopted regarding the tracking of ships by satellite as a measure to fight terrorism and prevent the movement of illicit material, such as weapons of mass destruction (WMD).

"Long-Range Identification and Tracking (LRIT) of ships has lots of other potential uses, but in this case it is being looked at as part of the wider security issue. The idea is that you would be able to track vessels whatever they were carrying," said an IMO spokesman. "You could also track a merchant vessel that was quite legitimately carrying a cargo that could be dangerous if it fell into the hands of terrorists."

Under the new proposals, merchant ships would be required to transmit through satellite-based technology their identity and position with date and time. However, for this type of tracking to be effective, proper risk assessments concerning what cargoes were being transported by sea would need to be carried out. In other words, LRIT in itself isn't actually any good unless nations are aware of which ships potentially pose a threat.

This requirement for the effectiveness of LRIT is a progression from the existing requirements under the International Ship and Port Security (ISPS) Code in that Contracting Governments are required to identify threats and to have levels of threat in place.

Since the 9/11 attacks, security has been a major concern within the maritime industry and a prime mover on these issues has been the US that pushed for stringent laws, fearing an attack using a WMD or infiltration by millitants from the sea. Internationally, measures against terrorism culminated in the implementation of the ISPS Code that came into force in July 2004.

Other matters discussed included the development of Goal Based New Construction Standards (GBS) for oil tankers and bulk carriers. MSC 81 approved Tier I (goals) and Tier II (functional requirements) subject to further adjustments that may become necessary in the process of finalising Tier III (verification of compliance). MSC 81 also approved incorporating GBS for oil tankers and bulk carriers in Solas chapter II-1. A correspondence group was established to continue to develop the elements of Tier III, the Ship Construction File, and to develop guidelines and details for carrying out a pilot project for the verification process in using the IACS Common Structural Rules.

MSC 81 has also agreed to endorse parallel track work to consider the development of GBS based on a "safety level approach" (previously called 'risk-based' or 'probabilistic approach'). It has therefore set up a separate correspondence group to determine the current safety level imbedded in the IMO regulations, develop a risk model and consider whether this parallel model for GBS would necessitate a modification of Tiers I and II of the GBS as developed for the time being for oil tankers and bulk carriers. The correspondence group was also requested to consider the relationship between overall failure of the ship and the contributions of different failure modes.

Ras Laffan repair yard by 2009

Fairplay has reported that Ras Laffan ship repair facility in Qatar is now expected to be operational in 2009.

The yard is to be jointly developed and managed by Qatar Gas Transport and Keppel Offshore and Marine and will be dedicated to building, repair and maintenance of LNG tankers and offshore vessels. With additional investment, the yard is expected to be able to handle construction of offshore oil and gas industry structures such as jack-up drilling rigs.

The writer is a Dubai-based marine consultant.