IMO ponders move to electronic ship documents database

IMO ponders move to electronic ship documents database An International Maritime Organization committee agreed last week to explore the idea of using electronic databases holding information on certificates and documents that must be carried on board ships, instead of hard-copy documents, for examinations and checks made by port state control officers.
   “It’s something that will require study regarding feasibility,” said Natasha Brown, spokeswoman for the IMO. But she said the committee is in favor of taking the project forward.
   The move, discussed at the July 4-8 meeting of the IMO facilitation committee, was welcomed by the International Chamber of Shipping, an association of shipowners that made the original proposal to move to electronic documents.
   “In addition to crew certification, IMO lists over 60 certificates and documents that must be carried on board ship,” said Brian Parkinson, trade and operations adviser at the London-based International Chamber of Shipping. “The question that the industry has been asking IMO is why, in the age of electronic databases, it is still necessary for original paper copies of all these documents to be carried on board.”
   The IMO committee has agreed to explore the possibility that some of these documents could be held on electronic databases that inspectors would be able to verify in advance of the ship’s arrival in the knowledge that the data was accurate and up to date.
   The International Chamber of Shipping believes this initiative would reduce the paperwork burden on ships’ personnel and help the authorities in their efforts to eliminate substandard ship operators and ensure maritime security. “It is easier to tamper with a paper document than a distant database,” the shipowners association said.
   If the project goes ahead, its implementation will be “very complicated and could take many years to complete,” the shipowners association said. In particular, some IMO Conventions might have to be amended.