XN000022-1994-09-26 — Page 19

MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 26, 1994

18

DAY 1994,

THE

ACCIDENTS MADE

IN A MESSAGE MARKING THE WORLD MARITIME SECRETARY-GENERAL OF THE IMO, MR WILLIAM O'NEIL, SAID MOST AT SEA, SOME SAID UP TO 80 PER CENT, WERE THE RESULT OF MISTAKES BY PEOPLE WHICH COULD AND SHOULD HAVE BEEN PREVENTED.

THINK

"IF WE SINCERELY WANT TO STOP ACCIDENTS FROM OCCURRING, THEN

IS OBVIOUS IT

CONCENTRATE

EFFORTS THAT WE SHOULD

OUR ELIMINATING HUMAN ERROR," HE SAID.

I

ON

MADE

NOT

MR O'NEIL POINTED OUT THAT MISTAKES WERE USUALLY BECAUSE OF FAULTY, DEFICIENT OR INADEQUATE REGULATIONS BUT BECAUSE THE REGULATIONS AND STANDARDS THAT DID EXIST HAD BEEN IGNORED.

PROVIDE THE

AN

THE IMO IS TAKING STEPS ΤΟ

FOR BASIS INTERNATIONAL CAMPAIGN TO REDUCE HUMAN ERROR BY RAISING PERSONNEL STANDARDS THROUGHOUT THE WORLD.

"BETTER STANDARD, TRAINING AND CERTIFICATION ARE NOT SIMPLY THE ONLY IMO RESPONSE TO THE PROBLEM OF HUMAN ERROR THEY REPRESENT THE RESPONSE THAT WILL BE EFFECTIVE, HE SAID.

AND

H

-

IMPORTANT

www

THE

AND

MOST PRIORITY FOR NEXT YEAR IS TO REVISE THE IMO'S MANDATORY INTERNATIONAL TREATY DEALING WITH CREW STANDARDS INTERNATIONAL CONVENTION ON STANDARDS OF TRAINING, CERTIFICATION WATCHKEEPING FOR SEAFARERS.

THE TREATY HAS BEEN RATIFIED BY MORE THAN 100 COUNTRIES AND HAS HELPED TO RAISE CREW STANDARDS AROUND THE WORLD.

IS

MR O'NEIL SAID: "BUT THE CONVENTION WAS ADOPTED IN 1978 AND NOW OUT OF DATE IN MANY RESPECTS. IT IS GENERALLY AGKEED THAT IT MUST BE BROUGHT UP TO DATE, AS QUICKLY AS POSSIBLE."

THE IMO IS CARRYING OUT A REVIEW UNDER A SPECIALLY EXPEDITED PROGRAMME THAT SHOULD RESULT IN A COMPLETELY REVISED

BEING TREATY ADOPTED IN JULY NEXT YEAR AND MAY ENTER INTO FORCE AT THE BEGINNING OF 1997.

THE ADOPTION OF THE REVISED TRAINING

BE CONVENTION WILL IMPORTANT IN IMO'S ATTEMPTS TO MAKE SHIPS SAFER AND THE IMPLEMENTED BUT IT WILL ONLY BE SUCCESSFUL IF IT IS

EXTREMELY OCEANS CLEANER. PROPERLY.

THE IMO IS HELPING IN THIS PROCESS TOO, BY DEVELOPING MODEL COURSES FOR USE IN MARITIME TRAINING

BY INSTITUTES,

PROVIDING PRACTICAL HELP AND GUIDANCE TO GOVERNMENTS AND THROUGH THE WORLD MARITIME UNIVERSITY, WHICH SINCE 1983 HAS BEEN TRAINING ADMINISTRATORS AND OTHER SENIOR PERSONNEL FROM WELL OVER 100 COUNTRIES.

OF

THE IMO HAS CONCENTRATED ON STRENGTHENING THE POWERS ALSO,

THE PORT STATE CONTROL ADMINISTRATIONS, CLARIFIED AND MADE MANDATORY RESPONSIBILITIES OF SHIPPING MANAGEMENT AND IS CURRENTLY DEVOTING ATTENTION TO ELIMINATING THE FLAWS IN THE SYSTEM OF TRAINING AND CERTIFICATION.

THE

IT WAS AN AMBITIOUS PROGRAMME THAT SEAFARERS FROM ALL OVER WORLD WERE TRAINED TO THE SAME HIGH STANDARDS, THAT THE EXAMINATIONS THEY SAT WERE FAIRLY MARKED AND THAT THE CERTIFICATES ISSUED TO THEM WERE COMPLETELY RELIABLE, MR O'NEIL SAID.

/THE DIRECTOR