Ship Safety & Security

The official OCIMF Code of Practice developed to provide the guidance for the countermeasures to be undertaken by the terminal operators as well as all other shore authorities against maritime piracy. The content of the guidebook helps to identify the actions considered most appropriate for each particular case.

The readers will find practical measures including both visible and organizational countermeasures and also contains a check sheet for the identification and implementation of the most appropriate responses to apprehend or at least deter maritime pirates.

Though the Code was originally aimed at the terminal operators being members of the OCIMF organization, it will also apply to all other operators and port authorities, coast guard and police officers - this list would actually include all persons engaged in such activities in one way or another and having a common aim to fight against maritime piracy and robbery.

They will find a good advice on how to overcome practical problems and get all required assistance in this compact but so comprehensive and useful publication, and get due understanding of the importance and necessity of the shore-based countermeasures..

At any given time and throughout the whole world, in any weather there are many pilots transiting to or from ships they are engaged in order to provide safe navigation from one point to another. Each of them must be embarked and disembarked in a safe manner. The transfer operations can normally be completed in numerous ways and each of these ways includes some degree of risks.

It is absolutely critical that people involved in the transfer operations are duly aware of the dangers associated with the transfer. That is why they shall all receive a good and thorough training irrespective of the method of transfer that has been chosen. Embarkation and disembarkation of the pilots would normally take place with the ship being either underway or alongside; however, it may also occur at the anchorage. For the purpose of pilot transfer the accommodation ladder, crane basket, vehicle ramp or other methods can be used.

The present publication provides readers with all required information about the pilot ladders, covering the general responsibilities of all parties involves in the transfer operation, construction of the ladders, securing the pilot ladder and providing the safe access to the ship deck, supervision etc. Shipside doors and combination ladders have been addressed separately. The book closes with the chapters on the associated equipment and lighting.

The present title contains the results of the intensive researches conducted by the authors during the past decade. Their original intention was to thoroughly analyze the maritime piracy geography as well as the political economy. Some ten years ago there was a splash in the number of piracy attacks in the Gulf of Aden region, including the “Maersk Alabama” case, and this actually made the authors to check the piracy matters more closely.

The contemporary maritime piracy provided them with a starting point from where the authors started their work. In order to get to the better understanding of the factors affecting the re-emerging of the maritime piracy around 1980-es, we need to pay attention to the global trends, such as the expansion of the maritime trade volumes after the Cold War etc.

However, the real conditions for the maritime piracy persistence were actually created by the local political/economic configurations and this is what is addressed in the pages of this publication, highlighting the significance of the looking through the historical records to get the idea of the crime and conflict dynamics. The book will be beneficial to the people willing to know the underlying factors with respect to the modern piracy.

The main objective of the authors of the present guide released by the world respected RECAAP organization was to give readers some professional guidance and practical tips, as well as the necessary contact details and established procedures for reporting.

The document will be of particular interest to the owners of the barges and tug boats, as well as to the ship operators and crew members on board, who will apply the information when working on the avoidance the hijacking and robbery. When preparing for the intended voyage, all of that shall be taken into consideration, as necessary.

The document will share the experience and inputs of all those industry professionals who had contributed, including the Masters and managers of the ships. Due to their characteristics and also the activities, the barges and tugs are considered highly vulnerable to the issues mentioned above, so the additional precautions shall be taken.

First of all, the publication describes the types of shipboard incidents and areas where such incidents are expected, and then proceeding to the risk assessment and the associated reporting procedures. The communication equipment has been addressed together with the physical protection, passage planning etc.

This handbook was written with the intention of the authors to provide readers with a comprehensive professional overview of all issues that are currently facing both naval strategy and naval security today, in the XXI century. The material contained in the publication was developed on the basis of the valuable contributions by the world recognized specialists in the industry, including researchers and practitioners.

The document is covering the naval security aspects in different regions of the planet, including the piracy-prone area of the East Africa. In addition, the book outlines the policy challenges that commonly arise as a result of the maritime terrorism, international organized crime, etc. The authors have analyzed all consequences posed by the maritime security of today’s world, paying all due attention to the naval strategy.

The book will serve as a good addition to the available literature intended to be used by the analysts and researchers. The book is expected to be of great interest to the students and practitioners in the field of naval strategy and security, as well as the security studies. However, every person engaged in the maritime shipping industry will benefit from the content of this book.

Nowadays, the vessels and the whole international maritime shipping industry is very vulnerable to a new threat – the cyber-attacks, considered serious since they can possibly affect all critical systems on any vessel. That is why we shall all be aware of this sort of hazard and make sure that both the crew members and supporting shore-based personnel are duly prepared to protect the ship against it.

The present publication was developed by the industry professionals in order to establish the due awareness of the important safety aspects and also make people familiarized with the security and commercial risks commonly presenting because of the wrong or non-timely measures taken. It is highly recommended for all people engaged in the industry to go through the content of this volume to make sure they can better protect the shipboard computer systems and all associated equipment from the outside impact.

Seven chapters of the book cover such aspects of cyber-security as safety management, identification of threats and vulnerabilities, assessment of the risk, contingency planning, response to the incidents, and development of the detection/protection measures. Four appendixes provide additional information and include a glossary of terms.

The present official guidance was prepared by the specialists of the CS, i.e. International Chamber of Shipping in response to the outbreak of the COVID-19 coronavirus and in order to provide the necessary support to the crew members of the vessels operating in international waters.

The main objective of the authors of this guide was to assist the shipping companies trying to follow the instructions that are issued by the UN agencies including the WHO, IMO and ILO. The COVID-19 virus was reported in China in 2019 and since then the number of disease cases has been growing; the geography of the virus has already expanded and covered almost all countries of the world.

Note that there is no vaccine readily available to prevent from or fight the virus. In the absence of the vaccine, we all need to be duly concentrated on the preventative measures that shall be taken as necessary in order to stop spreading the disease. We would recommend the present publication be printed and held on board every single vessel undertaking both international and domestic sea voyages. No doubt that carefully following all instructions and advice provided in the pages of this volume will eventually contribute to the health of the personnel on board.

The TRA, standing for the Task Risk Assessment, is one of the fundamental legal requirements aimed to reduce the probability of the work accidents. This approach has been commonly established in the maritime and offshore industry with the objective to improve the human safety standards on board ships and offshore installations. The present guidebook will provide readers with the professional advice on the risk assessment.

The authors tried to give their advice to enable readers to assess their current safety systems against the provisions contained in this guide, and help them with identifying the improvements to be made. In addition, the information provided in the pages of this compact volume, can be used as a basis when developing a completely new TRA system following the best industry practice, and will also be helpful when referred to during the implementation of the system and its application.

The readers will find valuable information on the different roles and responsibilities of the people involves, and their competencies that are required. Of course, the adoption of the TRA approach will eventually result in better risk awareness by people engaged in the task and reduce the number of incidents. It is a good supplementary tool and reading for those seriously concerned about safety.