The 107th session of the International Maritime Organization’s (IMO) Maritime Safety Committee took place from 31 May to 9 June 2023 at the IMO’s headquarters in London. Several relevant issues were on Committee’s agenda, outlined in this report.
While Lars Lange, IUMI’s Secretary General, attended the plenary sessions, Kunal Pathak, Loss Prevention Manager at Gard and Hendrike Kühl, IUMI’s Policy Director, participated in the Fuel Oil Safety Working Group.
Fire safety on roro passenger ships & container ships
The Committee approved draft amendments to SOLAS chapter II-2 on fire safety on ro-ro passenger ships; and fire detection within control stations and cargo control rooms, together with consequential amendments to associated instruments.
The MSC further agreed to establish a Formal Safety Assessment Expert Group (FSA EG) to review the Cargosafe study, which considers fire protection on board container ships. The FSA EG will meet from 23 to 26 October 2023 at the IMO to assess the Cargosafe study with a view to its compliance with the FSA Guidelines. Once the assessment is completed, the report of the FSA EG and all other documents submitted under this agenda item will be sent to the Sub-Committee on Ship Systems and Equipment (SSE 10), which will start its work in March 2024.
Maritime autonomous surface ships (MASS)
The MSC made further progress on developing of a non-mandatory goal-based instrument regulating the operation of maritime autonomous surface ships (MASS), expected to be adopted by 2025. This follows the completion of a related regulatory scoping exercise.
A MASS Working Group was established to progress the work on the MASS Code. It is identifying issues relevant to instruments under the purview of the Legal and Facilitation Committee to be considered by the joint MSC/Legal Committee (LEG)/Facilitation Committee (FAL) Working Group on MASS. This joint endeavour was established as a cross-cutting mechanism to address common issues identified by the regulatory scoping exercises for the use of MASS conducted by the Maritime Safety, Legal and Facilitation Committees.
The group had a common position on training, certification and competency requirements. When there are seafarers on a MASS, Standards of Training, Certification and Watchkeeping for Seafarers (STCW) applies to them. However, when remote operators and masters at Remote Operating Centres (ROC) are not on board a ship, STCW does not apply to those persons. There are certain principles (e.g., regarding watchkeeping) in STCW when considering autonomy and remote operation that should be addressed in the MASS Code, irrespective of the application of STCW.
The MSC approved the updated road map for further work. The Correspondence Group was re-established to continue the development of the non-mandatory goal-based MASS Code, to consider the common potential gaps and/or themes identified during the Regulatory Scoping Exercise, to develop positions on any common issues for submission to the joint MSC/LEG/FAL Working Group on MASS. The development of the non-mandatory MASS Code will be limited to cargo ships to consider the feasibility of application to passenger ships at a future stage. The Correspondence Group Coordinator will report to the Intersessional MASS Working Group (MASS ISWG), meeting in October 2023.
A symposium on ʺMaking headway on the IMO MASS Code", co-sponsored by IMO and the Republic of Korea, was held on 30 May 2023, the day before MSC 107 commenced. Read more here.
Fuel oil safety and safe delivery of IMO's strategy on reduction of GHG emissions
The MSC is coordinating with the Marine Environment Protection Committee (MEPC) on the transition to low and zero-carbon fuels to meet the obligation to tackle climate change, in particular, ensuring that the safety aspects of any proposed measures are thoroughly considered.
Guidelines for sampling procedures for oil fuel
The MSC approved the joint MSC/MEPC guidelines for sampling procedures for oil fuel under both the SOLAS and MARPOL Conventions, subject to concurrent approval by MEPC. The primary objective of the Guidelines is to establish an agreed method to obtain a representative sample of the oil fuel for delivery for use on board ships for combustion purposes. The basis for these Guidelines is a MARPOL rule which provides that details of fuel oil for combustion purposes used on board the ship shall be recorded using a bunker delivery note (BDN). The BDN must be accompanied by a representative sample of the fuel oil that has been delivered to the ship.
Oil fuel parameters other than flashpoint
The MSC approved draft amendments to SOLAS regulation II-2/4 related to oil fuel parameters other than flashpoint, with a view to subsequent adoption. A new generic provision is added: "Oil fuel delivered to and used on board ships shall not jeopardise the safety of ships or adversely affect the performance of the machinery or be harmful to personnel."
Framework to support the reduction of GHG emissions from ships using new technologies and alternative fuels
The MSC considered proposals for a new output to deliver a framework for the safe operation of new technologies and alternative fuels to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from ships to support the safe delivery of IMO's GHG Strategy.
Having noted the overwhelming support for the proposal, which was initiated by the International Association of Classification Societies (IACS) and co-sponsored by IUMI as well as numerous flag States and other observer organisations, the MSC agreed to a new output on "Development of a safety regulatory framework to support the reduction of GHG emissions from ships using new technologies and alternative fuels". The item will be added to the MSC agenda, starting with MSC 108.
A correspondence group was established to identify and update a list of fuels and technologies which will assist international shipping in supporting the reduction of GHG emissions from. The group will further conduct a safety assessment for new fuels and technologies in relation to persons, ships (newly built and converted) and applicable operations. Based on the outcomes, the group will develop a record of safety obstacles and gaps in the current IMO instruments that may impede using alternative fuel or new technology. IUMI will participate in the Correspondence Group.
Piracy and armed robbery against ships
Figures based on reports submitted to the IMO show that the global number of incidents has generally continued to fall, with 131 incidents reported in 2022 compared to 172 incidents in 2021. This is attributed to the regional and international efforts to implement the Djibouti and Yaoundé Codes of Conduct and other important regional initiatives.
Containers lost at sea
Containers lost overboard present a serious hazard to navigation and safety at sea, in particular to recreational sailing yachts, fishing vessels and other smaller craft, as well as to the marine environment. The draft amendments on the detection and reporting of lost containers developed by the Sub-Committee on Carriage of Cargoes and Containers (CCC) are also relevant to the IMO's work on addressing marine litter. The MSC approved draft amendments to SOLAS Chapter V regarding the reporting of the loss of containers.
The draft amendments to SOLAS address danger messages and would require the Master of every ship involved in the loss of freight container(s) to communicate the particulars of such an incident to ships in the vicinity, to the nearest coastal State, and also to the flag State which would be required to report the incident to IMO.
MSC also agreed on a new holistic output on “Development of measures to prevent the loss of containers at seaʺ, with a target completion year of 2025. IUMI was one of the co-sponsors of the proposal and supports a holistic approach which is also pursued in the TopTier Joint Industry Project, which studies the complex mix of root causes for containers lost overboard.
In this context, MSC approved an additional new output that looks at lashing software requirements. This output is directly linked to the IACS/IUMI Technical Meetings, during which IUMI raised concerns regarding the lashing software. Subsequently, IACS pursued this issue and submitted the proposal for a new output which the MSC has accepted.
Training provisions on bullying and harassment in the maritime sector
The MSC approved draft amendments to the Standards of Training, Certification and Watchkeeping for Seafarers (STCW) Code to prevent and respond to bullying and harassment in the maritime sector, including sexual assault and sexual harassment (SASH). Before adoption, these draft amendments will also be considered at the next meeting of the joint International Labour Organization (ILO)/IMO Tripartite Working Group to Identify and Address Seafarers' Issues and the Human Element (JTWG).
Non-SOLAS ships operating in polar waters
MSC adopted the first set of amendments to the Polar Code, together with associated amendments to the SOLAS Convention, to incorporate new requirements concerning the safety of navigation and voyage planning, applicable to fishing vessels of 24 m in length overall and above, pleasure yachts of 300 GT and above not engaged in trade and cargo ships of 300 GT and above but below 500 GT, operating in polar waters. The amendments are expected to enter into force on 1 January 2026.
