Guides

This official IMO publication is intended to give readers all required practical information relating to the important technical, legal, and also economic implications of MARPOL in terms of it's ratifying, implementation and subsequent coming into force. The publication will provide all interested parties with the good advice on the above mentioned aspects. The book will of particular interest to the Governments of the countries signatory to the MARPOL Convention.

In fact, one of the main declared aims of the authors of this volume was to encourage the ratification of the convention in even more countries and ensure its proper implementation. The main content of the guidebook is arranged in six major parts covering the rights and obligations, preparations, legal aspects to be considered, implementing the regulations of the convention, technical matters relating to the enforcement of the convention, and organization including marine administration and personnel training.

There are numerous appendices giving a lot of supplementary information such as sample documents and regulations, extracts from the relevant regulatory documents, classification flow charts etc. Numerous figures and informative data tables are there to supplement the text and make it easier to understand.

Years ago, the adoption of the ISM Code was one of the critically important developments in the maritime shipping safety. In the past all efforts done in the field of maritime safety and pollution prevention were directed to improving the ship construction, quality of the equipment etc., i.e. mainly hardware. The provisions of the ISM Code deal with the way the shipping companies operate.

This is particularly important taking into consideration the extent to which the human factor affects maritime safety - in fact it accounts for the majority of the accidents. The intent of the Code is to provide help in improving shipping management standards and established practices to reduce the number of the accidents and save human lives. However, it appears that some of the people engaged in the industry are still not familiar with the Code and have little to no understanding of what it means.

The content of this document will clarify many of the aspects of the Code and provide necessary assistance to the shipping companies in implementing the Code. The author of the book concentrates on the important insurance and legal implications. It is aimed at the people involved in practical operation and management of the vessels both on board and ashore.

Nowadays, there are too many incidents in the maritime shipping industry attributed to the poor practices established in the packing of CTU, i.e. cargo transport units. These would normally include incorrect cargo securing, overloading, wrong declaration etc. All of them are of utmost importance taking into account that the victims of the subject incidents may include general public as well as the workers of the transport and supply chain having no control over the process of packing.

The present Code is a publication developed jointly by the IMO, ILO and UNECE, standing for the UN Economic Commission for Europe, in order to address the above stated concerns and produce requirements for the proper packing and handling of the shipping containers for their marine transportation. The first three chapters of the document provide general introduction, definitions used in the text and key requirements.

The chains of information and responsibility is dealt with further together with the general transportation conditions. The following two chapters cover the properties and suitability of the CTU. The rest of chapters focus on the arrival and checking, positioning of cargo transport units, packing cargo, training issues and also give some additional advice on packing, receipt and unpacking of the units.

This is an excellent training resource for those willing to get better understanding of the provisions of the MARPOL convention and it's Annexes. Needless to say that this booklet shall be treated as indispensable reference tool for the operators, owners and crew members of the ships to keep their assets if full compliance with the requirements of MARPOL convention.

The arrangement of the material in the guidebook repeats the one of the convention itself, i.e. six sections of the document coming after the introductory chapter, deal with the prevention of marine pollution by oil, NLS - noxious liquid substances - carried in bulk, packed harmful substances, sewage and garbage generated on board ships, and air pollution. The next section provides a summary of the discharge standards to be complied with. The book concludes with the description of the so-called special areas under MARPOL convention.

As stated above, the publication will greatly assist those trying to get deep knowledge of the convention as it explains all grey areas in a very clear and easily understandable was making it a best option for the people with not too much of practical experience. An absolutely recommended one for both shipboard use and training purposes.

The PSSA, standing for the Particularly Sensitive Sea Area, is an area requiring special environmental protection through the necessary actions by the IMO. The reason for such close attention to these areas is their importance for the ecological and scientific, as well as socio-economic attributes. The International Maritime Organization is the only international entity assigned responsibility for the conducting the assessment of the proposals for the PSSA and designating such areas.

In addition, only IMO may develop and adopt measures to be implemented by the international maritime shipping industry. The content of this volume will provide readers with a good overview of the designated PSSAs. It includes all officially released documents, such as the revised guidelines and proposal review form. The text of the documents included in this volume was developed by the MEPC in order to assist members of the IMO with preparing, identifying and submitting PSSAs.

Another goal was to provide MEPC with the necessary updated information required for the review of the PSSA proposals and making sure that the applicable guidelines have been duly fulfilled. A must-have for the people involved in the marine protection activities.

This publication contains the officially released text of the International Convention on Wreck Removal adopted back in 2007. The convention was developed with the intention of the parties to provide the legal basis enabling them either to remove or to have removed from their coastal waters and coast lines the wrecks that normally pose a real hazard to the maritime shipping safety as well as to the marine environment.

In order to achieve the declared objectives, this new treaty was presented including the provisions relating to the reporting of vessels and wrecks together with their removal and the criteria for determination of the associated hazards. The measures that shall be undertaken to facilitate the wreck removal and owner liability for the costs for locating and marking of vessels and wrecks plus their subsequent removal are also regulated within this publication.

The registered owners of the vessels are required to maintain the mandatory insurance and/or any financial security covering the liability within the frame of the present Convention. The content of the publication shall be read and clearly understood by anyone who is involved in today’s shipping industry.

This publication contains the guidelines prepared and released by one of the most authoritative organizations in the world of marine shipping. As the title of the volume implies, it will provide the information relating to the ship-to-shore access. The material is arranged in two major parts. The first part of the document provides the guidelines themselves and is, in turn, divided into three sections.

The first section focuses on the gangways and accommodation ladders of the vessels, while the second section addresses the terminals with the particular attention paid to the ladders as well as custom-built equipment. The last section is devoted to the mutual support. The second half of the publication provides the management information and covers the role played by the senior management; it also gives the summary of the material contained in the book.

Five appendixes provide additional information, such as the excerpts from the international conventions and statutory instruments, technical specifications of the ladders made of aluminum, list of states that have already ratified the ILO conventions, general arrangement of the gangways and examples of the special types of ladders.

A very useful publication released by the OCIMF organization to aid all people engaged in the offshore operations in the colder regions of the world. The main declared purpose of the present document is to give charterers and operators of the OSVs, standing for the offshore support vessels, all required guidance to be applied when working in the severe sub-zero temperatures or ice conditions.

The paper contains the valuable technical recommendations embracing all ship types and services involved. In general, the content of the paper addresses all OSVs; however, the section 4.3 of the book will provide recommendations for the specific ship types. The conditions addressed in the pages of this document impacting the offshore operations in many parts of the world and make seamen face special risks requiring special considerations.

In some cases these areas are very remote and this presents additional difficulties; in some cases the special ice management provided by the third party shall take place. Among the topics that are covered by the authors there are ice information, winterization, major operational aspects, protection of the environment, damage control and others…