Written Answers. - Shipping Vessels.
Eamon Gilmore
Ceist:
56
Mr. Gilmore
asked the
Minister for the Marine
if his attention has been drawn to the recent report from the International Maritime Organisation expressing concern about the condition of shipping vessels; if he intends to take any steps through the EC to curb the use of poorly maintained and badly manned ships using flags of convenience in European waters; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
The International Maritime Organisation, which is the United Nations agency with responsibility for safety of life at sea and the prevention of pollution from ships has on many occasions expressed concern about flag of convenience vessels which operate with below the minimum internationally accepted manning levels and safety standards. The organisation has urged member states to inspect as many foreign-registered vessels as possible which visit their ports and to detain vessels which do not comply with international standards.
As far as this country is concerned, foreign registered vessels when in a port in the State or within our territorial waters must comply with the provisions of the following International Maritime Organisation Conventions; the Loadlines Convention, 1966, the 1972 Convention on the Prevention of Collisions at Sea, the Standards of Training and Certification of Watchkeepers Convention, 1978, and most importantly the Safety of Life at Sea Convention, 1974, as amended in 1981, 1983, 1988 and 1989, known as SOLAS, which contains provisions concerning life saving applicances, stability, navigational facilities, fire protection, construction, surveys, radio installations and the carriage of dangerous goods. A set of 21 statutory instruments was executed in 1983 in order to give legal effect to the SOLAS Convention while a further set of 12 instruments giving effect to the First Amendments to the Convention was executed in 1985. A set of 13 instruments to give effect to the Second Amendments will be enacted shortly.
Marine surveyors of my Department apply the provisions of these statutory instruments when inspecting foreign registered vessels and have powers under the Merchant Shipping Acts to detain vessels which do not comply with the relevant requirements.
Foreign registered vessels visiting our ports may also be inspected under the provisions of the Memorandum of Understanding on Port State Control. This is an agreement between the maritime authorities of 14 European countries, including Ireland, aimed at ensuring that ships comply with international safety, pollution prevention and other standards, All deficiencies found during inspection are reported to the Port State Control Computer Centre at Saint Malo, France. Vessels may be detained to rectify deficiencies, allowed to proceed to the next port where the deficiencies must be rectified or given fourteen days to rectify the deficiences depending on their gravity. The computer facility is a useful instrument in procuring swift and accurate information on vessels. Messages concerning, for example, ships with outstanding deficiencies sailing within European waters or concerning reports on operational violations within the region can be transmitted via computer terminal to any participating State within minutes.
Under Port State Control arrangements each participating State undertakes to achieve an annual total of inspections corresponding to 25 per cent of the estimated number of individual foreign merchant ships, as distinct from ships movements, which entered its ports during a 12 month period. During 1988 for example, 246 foreign registered vessels were inspected while in Irish ports. Twenty-six of these were detained by my surveyors until deficiencies identified during the inspection had been rectified.
The European Community has examined proposals aimed at the harmonisation of inspection procedures in member states. However, given that all the maritime members of the Community participate in Port State Control arrangements which to date have proved successful in detecting and detaining vessels operating below international standards, within European waters, the European Community has not as yet seen the need to take any further measures.
