Guides

SIRE Operator Access

SIRE 2.0 - Frequently Asked Questions

As we all know, there had been too many losses of the vessels, in some cases even without any traces, transporting solid cargoes in bulk form; in addition to that, numerous tragic losses of human lives took place in late-nineties. As a result of that, the IMO Assembly did request the MSC, standing for the Maritime Safety Committee, to work on the development of technical requirements that would apply to the design and construction of the aforementioned ships as well as surveys on board those ships and periodic maintenance.

Their efforts resulted in the present publication containing the important mandatory/non-mandatory technical guidelines and performance standards to be complied with at all times. Five major areas have been covered in the pages of this volume, namely guidelines to be used when selecting, applying and maintaining the shipboard corrosion prevention systems applied inside the dedicated salt water tanks, standards applicable those tanks of the double-skin carriers, covering of the void spaces in oil tankers and bulk carriers. The fourth part contains provisions related to the permanent shipboard access means, while the last one is dealing with the periodic technical maintenance and repair of the coatings.

A very useful publication released by the Korea P&I Club. The document is intended to provide necessary guidance to handling fuels on board ships and will be of great practical interest to all crew members. The content of this booklet was composed by the recognized experts of the shipping industry willing to pass their knowledge and experience, contributing to the prevention of the accidents that frequently occur during the shipboard operations; it also addresses the most important and effective measures that shall be taken to ensure that the extent of the damage in case of the accident is minimized.

In the meantime, every effort was made by the authors to reduce the theoretical information and concentrate on real life practical issues. The book opens with the introductory part followed by the real case study of the bunkering accident which is offered to the readers to analyze.

The next two chapters of the document deals with the bunker characteristics and established bunkering procedures that shall be explained to and followed by all parties involved at any time. The bunker supply contract is covered in a separate chapter. The booklet closes with the chapter on handling bunker claims.

The UK P&I Club publication - Guide to People Claims - deals with the documentation and information that are normally required to handle the claims effectively. The information contained in the present official paper is mainly intended to give necessary details of the documentation and info that will be required by the members of the Club to quickly starts their claims.

The opening section of the booklet is Leadership in Action and provides general introduction followed by the list of team members. The flowchart of what shall be done and expected in the cases of injury and crew illness is provided. The next three sections of the booklet are dealing with the information that is required by the P&I Club in cases of any new crew illness and injury claims, death claims and third party or stevedore claims.

The professional advice for stowaways is given showing the measures to be taken in order to prevent stowaways and what to do if a stowaway is found. Information required in connection with the new stowaway, new passenger and new deviation claims is also described. The paper also contains standard form to be used for the re-imbursement requests. Have a look and you will have all necessary guidance.

This informational booklet released by Signum has been devoted solely to this unique organization engaged in the investigation of the maritime crime for the Members of the UK P&I Club. This is the in-house investigation department operating as an integral part of the Club and offering bespoke investigation services. The main and primary task of this entity is to make sure that the confidential, professional and immediate responses are provided during the investigation of the various maritime crimes.

The professionals of this company have been providing their services for more than sixty years accumulating huge experience and knowledge. The qualifications of the Signum investigators enables the company to get involved in the investigation of any maritime incidents involving criminality. One of the typical investigations conducted by the Signum specialists involves containerized transportations of the high value cargoes gone missing.

The requests for assistance and investigation are normally received from the Club's executives; alternatively, they may be initiated directly by the Club Members. The problems are then identified and all available documentation collated and reviewed.

The marine environment of the Arctic region is changing very rapidly and the changes are quite profound. The changes in climate affect the region in a significant way, taking into account the temperature rise which is taking place faster than on the other parts of the Earth. The melting ice, in turn, facilitates development of the industrial interest in the subject area, and this of course includes the maritime sector.

All ships operating in the Arctic region always face serious challenges including but not limited to the severe cold and sea ice of variable thickness, fierce stormy seas and lack of the accurate navigational charts, as well as poorly developed maritime infrastructure. All of these factors contribute into the increase of the probability of the incidents putting human lives and marine environment at immediate risk.

Some accidents, for example those involving major spills of cargo oil, can result in the disastrous environmental impacts. Moreover, even without such accidents, the dense vessel traffic itself can impact the environment in the negative way due to the emissions, problems with the ballast exchange, ships striking the marine mammals, sewage and greywater discharge etc…

The present document was prepared by the UK MCA to address the most frequently asked questions related to the implementation of the ballast water management convention. It opens with the status of ratification of the convention. Then the readers will get to know the applicability of the subject convention including both domestically and internationally operating ships, dredgers and fishers, and offshore installations.

The survey and certification requirements depending on the ship size are covered within a separate chapter. Also, the readers will find the information about the ballast water exchange and the implementation standards applicable to IOPP and non-IOPP vessels, together with the possible alternatives to compliance. Due attention has been paid to the sediments considered an important aspect.

As you know, some of the ships can be exempted from compliance with the requirements of the convention and this is discussed separately, together with the equivalences. In short, this compact booklet shall be possessed on board any ship and readily available for reference at all times. No excessive size, no useless information, no difficult terminology, only the necessary info.