Sub-Committee on Implementation of IMO Instruments (III 4) 25-29 September 2017

Addressing Illegal, Unreported, Unregulated (IUU) Fishing
The Sub-Committee agreed a series of recommendations aimed at addressing Illegal, Unreported, Unregulated (IUU) Fishing, the third meeting of the Joint IMO/ The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) Ad Hoc Working Group on Illegal, Unreported, Unregulated (IUU) Fishing and Related Matters (JWG), held in November 2015 at IMO Headquarters.

The proposals focus on key areas, such as the entry into force and implementation of relevant international instruments, in particular, the Cape Town Agreement and the development of an effective roadmap; fishing vessels identification and application of the IMO Ship Identification Number Scheme; the coordinated implementation of inspection regimes; cooperation among the Secretariats of IMO, FAO and ILO, in particular, on joint capacity development programmes and the sharing of data; and on navigational hazards and environmental issues. (Further information here)

Extension of IMO Ship Identification Number Scheme
The Sub-Committee proposed to extend the IMO Ship Identification Number Scheme to more vessels, on a voluntary basis. A draft Assembly resolution was agreed, for submission to IMO’s 30th Assembly for adoption.

The number scheme applies to ships over 100 GT. The proposal is for further voluntary application to fishing vessels of steel and non-steel hull construction; passenger ships of less than 100 gross tonnage, high-speed passenger craft and mobile drilling units, engaged on international voyages; and to all motorized inboard fishing vessels of less than 100 gross tonnage down to a size limit of 12 metres in length overall authorized to operate outside waters under national jurisdiction of the flag State.

Port State Control – revised procedures agreed
The Sub-Committee finalized a draft Assembly resolution on Procedures for Port State Control, containing the comprehensive compilation of guidelines relevant to Port State Control. This will be submitted to the 30th IMO Assembly for adoption.

The new resolution will update the previous Procedures for PSC adopted in 2011 (resolution A.1052(27)). The revisions include, in particular, guidelines on the ISM Code; the certification of seafarers, hours of rest and manning; and procedures regarding voluntary early implementation of amendments to the 1974 SOLAS Convention and related mandatory instruments.

The Sub-Committee also noted the outcome of the Third Joint Ministerial Conference of the Paris and Tokyo Memoranda of Understanding on Port State Control, which adopted a declaration committing to protect oceans by eliminating substandard shipping practices and advancing international ship safety. The Sub-Committee also welcomed the resumption of the series of IMO Workshops for PSC MoU/Agreement Secretaries and Database Managers.

Updated Survey Guidelines under the HSSC 
Revised and updated Survey Guidelines under the Harmonized System of Survey and Certification (HSSC), were agreed, for submission to IMO’s 30th Assembly for adoption.  The revision include requirements deriving from all amendments to mandatory IMO instruments entering into force up to and including 31 December 2017.

Non-exhaustive list of obligations under instruments relevant to the IMO Instruments Implementation Code
The Sub-Committee developed a draft Assembly resolution containing the 2017 Non-exhaustive list of obligations under instruments relevant to the IMO Instruments Implementation Code, including requirements deriving from all amendments to relevant mandatory IMO instruments entering into force up to and including 1 July 2018, which is used in the context of the IMO Member States Audit Scheme, for submission to IMO’s 30th Assembly for adoption.

Making casualty investigation reports public
Data and reports on marine casualties and incidents are provided on the publicly accessible IMO database https://gisis.imo.org/Public/MCI/Default.aspx (registration needed).

The Sub-Committee noted that new and existing reports of investigations into casualties have been made public by default, while allowing reporting States to amend the release status of their own reports.

Lessons learned
The Sub-Committee approved lessons learned from marine casualties for dissemination and encouraged the reporting of near-miss occurrences to promote a safety culture.

Availability of adequate port reception facilities - reports received
The Sub-Committee noted that during 2016, there were 70 reported cases of alleged inadequacies of port reception facilities, received from eight flag States and one territory of the United Kingdom. Of those, 51 reports referred to alleged inadequacies of PRFs under the requirements of MARPOL Annex V (garbage), five under Annex I (oil), two reports under Annexes II (chemicals) and IV (sewage) and 10 reports covered more than one waste type;

The total waste categories reported were 282 and covered 30 port Administrations. Six port Administrations responded on actions taken on alleged inadequacy reports, covering 15.7% of the total reports submitted for 2016.

IMO has published a manual "Port Reception Facilities – How to do it", which provides guidance on how to ensure the provision of adequate PRFs. The 2017 Guidelines for the implementation of MARPOL Annex V (resolution MEPC.295(71)), includes guidance (section 6.3) for Member Governments to establish appropriate incentive systems to ensure compliance with MARPOL Annex V.

The Sub-Committee urged Member States to report to the Organization any alleged inadequacies; update and review existing data on port reception faculties; and provide incentives for ports and terminals to increase investment in the provision of adequate port reception facilities.

Information on port reception facilities and reported alleged inadequacies is provided (public access) on the GISIS database https://gisis.imo.org/Public/PRF/Default.aspx

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