International Safety Processes
International Cooperation
The International Maritime Organization With shipping being an international business, many conventions
have to be agreed between all the nations who use the sea. For
instance, in 1863 it was agreed to have international regulations
for preventing collisions at sea. Another important initiative on
maritime safety was a conference in 1914 which agreed the
International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS).
This Convention has been revised a number of times, and is now the
responsibility of the International Maritime Organization (IMO).
IMO is a United Nations organisation, founded in 1948 under the
name Inter-Governmental Maritime Consultative Organization.
Although safety remains IMO`s major concern, it has taken on board
other matters, including prevention of pollution from accidental
oil spillage and from tankers washing their tanks. IMO also runs the Global Maritime Distress and Safety System,
through which any ship in distress anywhere in the world can
broadcast its position. Through international conventions, IMO also
sets standards for training and certification of crew. Recently,
with concerns about terrorism at sea, IMO has been given the job of
improving maritime security and preventing and suppressing acts of
terrorism against shipping. European Union regulation: EMSA The European Maritime Safety Agency (EMSA) began work late in
2002. It aims to coordinate and monitor efforts throughout the
European Union to reduce maritime accidents, pollution from ships,
and loss of lives at sea. EMSA intends to strengthen the port state control system, and to
harmonise methods of investigating accidents. An important aspect of EMSA`s work will be to monitor
classification societies. These societies exist to inspect ships
whilst they are being built and to survey them regularly when they
are in service. These activities were originally intended to
benefit those who owned and insured the ships. With their unique
skills in inspection, classification societies have a major part to
play in eliminating sub-standard ships. Because of this, the EU and
other organisations aim to approve classification societies whose
work meets a certain standard, and to monitor their work. Today, accidents at sea do not just affect those who crew and
own the ship, but everyone who uses the sea and those who live
around it. Therefore, safety of ships and their cargoes is becoming
more and more an international concern. Even more international
regulation of shipping can be expected in the future.
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