-
13
Asia-Pacific region maritime officials meet in HK
Representatives from 16 maritime authorities are gathered in Hong Kong for the third meeting of the Port State Control Committee in the Asia-Pacific region to work out the harmonisation of inspection procedures, information exchange and the training scheme for inspectors at a regional level.
The meeting, hosted by the Marine Department, will begin tomorrow (Friday) and conclude on Thursday (December 7). It follows the two previous meetings held in Beijing and Kuala Lumpur respectively.
The outcome of the discussion will help to enhance the co-ordination of Port State Control activities in Asia-Pacific region.
It will also give a clear message of the determination of the maritime administrations in eradicating the operation of sub-standard ships in the region.
Port State Control inspection of foreign ships calling at a port is sanctioned by various conventions adopted by the International Maritime Organisation (IMO).
Port states carry out inspection on foreign ships to ensure that they comply with the safety and pollution prevention requirements of the IMO conventions and thus to discourage the operation of sub-standard ships.
To implement the provisions of the conventions effectively, a rigorous and co- ordinated strategy of inspection regime needs to be adopted by all ports states in a region to prevent operators of sub-standard ships from taking advantage of the ports where such inspections are absent or less rigorous.
In 1982, 14 European countries signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) in Paris to stamp out sub-standard ships.
The signatories of the Paris MOU agreed on uniform standards for inspections and each member undertook to carry out inspections of an agreed minimum percentage of ships visiting their ports.
The success of the Paris MOU led countries in other regions to adopt a similar approach.