The International Chamber of Shipping has announced that it will be making its publications on best practices for shipping companies available as eBooks.

ICS will be using the eReader technology developed by Witherby Seamanship Group (WPG), which is now being widely used by many other bodies producing maritime publications, including the International Maritime Organization (IMO).

The ICS publications to be made available as eBooks from April 2013 will continue to be published on behalf of ICS by Marisec Publications and will only be available from maritime booksellers.

The initial ICS publications to become available as eBooks will be the ICS Bridge Procedures Guide (4^th edition), the ICS Guide to Helicopter/Ship Operations (4^th edition) and the ICS/ISF Guidelines on the Application of the ISM Code (4^th Edition).  Other ICS publications will be made available as eBooks when new or revised editions of print versions are published.

The ICS eBooks will be available as single user versions (with the same recommended retail price as the existing print editions) or as network versions whereby a customer will have access to five copies of the eBook for just twice the cost of the single user version.

Full details of prices can be obtained from maritime booksellers.

Many ICS publications on best practices are an essential complement to international maritime regulations adopted by IMO, and are required reading by companies and seafarers involved in maritime operations.

ICS Director External Relations, Simon Bennett, explained: “As well as responding to the demand from shipping companies to produce ICS publications as eBooks, we believe that by using the proven WPG system it will be helpful to ship operators for our books to sit alongside IMO regulations, as well as useful advice produced by other maritime bodies, in electronic form.”

The International Shipping Federation (ISF), which represents maritime employers globally, is calling on port states to facilitate the right of seafarers to shore leave, in line with governments’ international treaty obligations, by proposing a new pragmatic approach to visa requirements.

ISF has made this proposal in a submission to the International Maritime Organization (IMO) Facilitation Committee, which next meets in April to consider its current review of the IMO Convention on the Facilitation of International Maritime Traffic (FAL).  The FAL Convention includes a blanket prohibition on port states requiring seafarers to obtain visas in order to enjoy shore leave.

The long established principle that, due to the special nature of their employment, seafarers should not be required to hold a visa for the purposes of shore leave is enshrined in various international Conventions, including the International Labour Organization (ILO) Conventions 185 and 108, as well the IMO FAL Convention.

However, in a post ‘9/11’ world of heightened concerns about security and immigration issues, the ability of seafarers to exercise this right is increasingly being challenged, with visas now required in United States and Australia.  Problems are still being reported of seafarers not being able to leave their ships without visas within the Schengen area of the European Union, in spite of efforts by the European Commission to resolve these difficulties.  Problems also exist in Brazil, Singapore, South Africa and other countries.

“Despite the clear principle established by various Conventions, many port states do now require a large number of seafarers to obtain visas in advance in order to enjoy shore leave.  This causes serious difficulties for seafarers – especially those operating in tramp trades that may not have the opportunity to apply for a visa in advance.” said ISF Director of Employment Affairs, Natalie Shaw.

As part of the ongoing review of the FAL Convention, several governments have supported proposals to add “visa number, if appropriate” within the information that port states can be permitted to request from ships.  Whilst governments have argued that this information will only be used to assist the transmission of information about visas required by those seafarers who might wish to travel beyond the ‘geographical limits’ of shore leave, ISF believes that adoption of such an amendment could serve to legitimise the requirement of visas for shore leave by Parties to FAL, further undermining the fundamental principle that visas should not be required.

Notwithstanding the principle, however, ISF’s priority is to ensure that the welfare of seafarers is met by ensuring that shore leave is facilitated.  ISF is therefore proposing to IMO that governments should agree that in the event that port states insist upon requiring visas for shore leave, they should make provisions for the seafarers to be able to apply for visas upon arrival in port, or very shortly before.  ISF will therefore propose that a new ‘Recommended Practice’ to this effect be included in the FAL Convention.  If accepted, ISF will drop its current opposition to the proposal that visa numbers might be requested from ships.

“While this involves a degree of compromise on our part, we do not want to cut off our nose to spite our face.  In the event that such an amendment could be accepted by governments, this might make a significant contribution towards facilitating access to shore leave, which remains a serious problem for many seafarers and shipping companies and which is a matter on which we have seen little progress in recent years.  We want to break the impasse.” said Mrs Shaw.

The amendment proposed by ISF would also be consistent with the principles established in ILO Convention 185, which ISF, in its capacity as co-ordinator of the Employers’ Group, helped to negotiate at an ILO Tripartite Conference in 2003.

—ends—

Notes to Editors

• ISF is the identity used by the International Chamber of Shipping (ICS) in its capacity as an employers’ organisation concerned with labour affairs and training matters.

The Board of Directors of the International Chamber of Shipping (ICS) – the principal international trade association for shipowners, representing all sectors and trades and over 80% of the world merchant fleet – met in London today (5 February).

Issues considered by ICS members included: frustration with the failure of Italy to submit a full maritime casualty report to the International Maritime Organization (IMO) following the ‘Costa Concordia’ cruise ship tragedy which occurred over a year ago; the continuing discussions at IMO and elsewhere on the best means of achieving further carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions reduction from ships; and serious concerns that the IMO Convention on Ship Recycling, adopted to improve standards throughout the world’s ship recycling yards, is in danger of being undermined by regional measures being discussed by the European Union.

ICS Commits to CO₂ MRV

The ICS Board reviewed recent developments with respect to the international regulation of CO₂ emissions from ships.  This included proposals by the United States and the European Commission, and others, concerning the establishment of a mandatory system of Monitoring, Reporting and Verification of emissions (known as ‘MRV’).

ICS Chairman, Masamichi Morooka, explained: “Our meeting agreed that ICS will fully support the concept of MRV, provided that any measure adopted is developed and agreed at IMO, and that it will be simple to administer and primarily based on fuel consumption measured by bunker delivery notes.”

“However,” added Mr Morooka “ICS support for the development of an MRV mechanism does not imply acceptance of MRV being used for the eventual development of any other Market Based Measure, or the mandatory application of energy indexing measures to existing ships.”

ICS is currently developing a detailed position on how MRV might work, but is waiting for formal submissions to be made by governments at the next meeting of the IMO Marine Environment Protection Committee in May.

ICS is optimistic that the United States will submit a paper to IMO that will address some (though not all) of the concerns previously raised by ICS in response to earlier US proposals made last year.  In particular, it is hoped that the US will acknowledge the central role of bunker delivery notes, and that it will avoid any suggestion that expensive or impractical emission monitoring equipment should be installed on board ships (as has been suggested by some elements within the European Commission).

IMO has already adopted a comprehensive package of technical and operational measures to reduce CO₂ emissions, and shipping is the only industry which already has CO₂ reduction regulations in force at a global level.  ICS therefore welcomes the recent announcement by the European Commission that if further measures are developed to address CO₂ that this should be done globally inside the IMO.

At their meeting, ICS members’ noted with satisfaction that, for the time being at least, it seems that the EU will give much less emphasis to developing its own Market Based Measure on a regional basis (including a mooted regional emissions trading scheme for ships) and that as an interim measure the EU instead wishes to focus on a global system of MRV.

“This constructive stance now being taken by Europe is very positive,” said Mr Morooka.  “But with respect to MRV, we are still waiting to see if firm proposals will be made at IMO by the European Commission.  At consultations we have attended in Brussels, some EU officials from the Climate Change Directorate still seem to be thinking in terms of a developing a regional measure first.  In the absence of firm EU proposals being submitted to IMO it is difficult for industry to contribute to the MRV debate at European level meaningfully.  This is something which ICS is very keen to do.”

Notwithstanding ICS’s support for MRV, its priority remains to help ensure that the technical and operational measures adopted by IMO, which came into force in January 2013, are successfully implemented.  This includes the Energy Efficiency Design Index (EEDI) and the mandatory use of Ship Energy Efficiency Management Plans (SEEMP).   ICS believes that the further reduction in emissions that will be delivered by the SEEMP, which are now being utilised by tens of thousands of existing ships worldwide, should not be understated.

Ship Recycling

The ICS Board expressed serious concern about proposals being considered by the European Union for an EU Regulation on ship recycling.

ICS believes that the EU Regulation being considered by the EU Parliament risks completely undermining the International (Hong Kong) Convention for the Safe and Environmentally Sound Recycling of Ships, which was adopted by IMO in 2009.  The EU proposals include a fund to which EU ship operators would have to pay in order to ensure that their ships are recycling in accordance with EU standards, rather than those already agreed by governments at IMO.  The ulterior motive of the European Parliament seems to be a wish to create work for ship recycling facilities in Europe.

The IMO Convention was adopted to address legitimate concerns about environmental and working conditions in ship recycling yards which for the most part are located in Asia.  “If the EU Regulation goes ahead in its current form, it is very hard to see how the IMO Convention can ever enter into force.” said Mr Morooka.

“As well as damaging the EU registered fleet, undermining the Hong Kong Convention will do little to help workers in the recycling yards in developing nations who will continue to be engaged in dismantling the majority of the world’s redundant ships, and whose workload is already increasing in view of the chronic over capacity that exists throughout the shipping industry.” said Mr Morooka. “It must be hoped that the governments of EU Member States, which are signatories to the Hong Kong Convention, will start to see sense and stop these damaging proposals before it is too late.”

Casualty Reports

The ICS Board reviewed the continuing response at IMO to the ‘Costa Concordia’ cruise ship tragedy, and welcomed the measures that have so far been taken forward relating to passenger safety and evacuation procedures.

“The response of IMO so far has been measured and reasonable and we have been impressed by the commitment amongst governments to avoid knee jerk reactions” said Mr Morooka. “But IMO is under increasing pressure to take forward far more radical steps in advance of Italy publishing the complete results of its accident investigation, which it has still singularly failed to do. Given the seriousness of the disaster, which happened over a year ago, this failure by Italy is simply unacceptable.  We still have no official understanding of what the underlying causes were with respect to an accident that really should never have happened.”

ICS believes that the ‘Costa Concordia’ tragedy has highlighted the seemingly inadequate obligations on the part of flag states to submit the results of accident investigations to IMO.  The impasse created by the failure of Italy to report definitively on such a serious casualty indicates that action may be needed in an area where other flag states are also commonly guilty with respect to less high profile incidents which are nevertheless serious and from which important safety lessons could be learned.

The ICS Board agreed that, in discussion with governments, ICS will take forward proposals to IMO as to how the obligations of flag states with respect to casualty reports might be strengthened.  These will probably draw on the obligations that the EU now places upon its Members States, with a view to seeing if these might be applied on a global basis.

The International Chamber of Shipping (ICS) – the principal international trade association for shipowners, representing all sectors and trades and over 80% of the world merchant fleet – has voiced serious concerns about toll increases just announced by the Suez Canal Authority (SCA), to be implemented on 1 May 2013.

For all but the smallest ships, the Suez Canal toll increases range from about 3% to 5% according to tonnage and ship type.  These follow across the board increases of 3% which were implemented in March last year despite industry protests.

ICS Secretary General, Peter Hinchliffe, remarked: “Most international ship operators are trading in the worst shipping markets in living memory due to there being too many ships chasing too few cargoes. This is not the time for the SCA to be announcing increases, which for some trades seem very dramatic indeed, and which many shipowners will find impossible to pass on to their customers.”

He added: “We recognise that, with pressure on Egypt’s tourism and its other economic problems, there is increased pressure on the SCA to maintain what is now the country’s biggest source of foreign revenue.  But the effect of these increases will be to give a spur to those owners who may already be considering the Cape route as a serious alternative.”

The route via the Cape of Good Hope is already becoming relatively less expensive as many ships resort to slow steaming in an effort to reduce costs and to deliver the reductions in CO₂ emissions which are now demanded by their customers.

Moreover, the entrance to the Suez Canal, via the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden, is already unattractive due to the continuing threat of Somali piracy, compounded by instability in the Yemen.  Recent events in Egypt, including riots in Ismailia and Port Said, are generating concerns about the security of the Canal itself.

“We are also disappointed by the lack of consultation that preceded these increases,” said Mr Hinchliffe.  “To the SCA’s credit, the Canal has so far continued to function smoothly.  But ICS will be repeating its request for full and proper consultation between the industry and the SCA, particularly whenever toll adjustments are being contemplated.”

The ICS Board of Directors will be considering the matter further at its meeting in London tomorrow (5 February), together with the status of ongoing discussions between ICS and the Panama Canal Authority about a new toll structure which is being introduced to coincide with the expansion of the Panama Canal, expected to be completed in 2014/15.