IMO to review maritime security

IMO to review maritime security    The International Maritime Organization's maritime safety committee will discuss maritime security, construction standards for new ships and other safety issues during its meetings in London Dec. 1-10.
   The specialized committee is expected to re-establish the security working group to consider issues relating to the implementation of the special measures to enhance maritime security that were adopted by the organization in 2002 and entered into force on July 1, the IMO said, referring to the International Ship and Port Facility Security Code.
   The working group on maritime security, which functioned in May during the previous round of the maritime safety committee's meetings, is generally suspended until the next committee meeting.
   On maritime security, the maritime safety committee will discuss:
   * Developing a checklist for conducting port facility security self-assessments.
   * A standardized data-set of security-related information that ships could be expected to provide in advance of their arrival in port.
   * False security alerts and distress/security double alerts.
   * Long-range identification and tracking.
   * Sharing of information on maritime security and concerns over the publishing of data generated by automatic identification systems.
   The development of “goal-based standards” for new ship construction will also be on the IMO committee's agenda. The committee has asked its members whether goal-based standards should set prescriptive requirements or describe specific solutions, or prescribe high-level goals of safety and pollution prevention; whether the goal-based standards approach should be extended to other areas (for example, machinery and electrical systems, lifesaving appliances and fire safety) so that the same goal-setting regime covers the entire ship; how to verify compliance with goal-based standards during the design, construction, operation and maintenance of ships, whether IMO should do this, and if so, how.
   The IMO said 19 countries and three international organizations have submitted 26 documents on this issue for consideration by the committee.