Tokyo MOU Welcomes Peru, Panama

Representatives of the Port State Control Committee, the governing body under the Memorandum of Understanding on Port State Control in the Asia-Pacific Region (Tokyo MOU), convened last week in Putrajaya, for its 26th meeting.

 

The authorities of Peru and Panama applied for full membership, and their applications were unanimously accepted, bringing the total number of Tokyo MOU member authorities to 21, plus a number of observers.

 

The October 5-8 meeting was chaired by Abdul Samad Bin Shaik Osman, Principal Assistant Director, Maritime Industry Control Division, Marine Department Malaysia, and was officially opened by Dato’ Sri Liow Tiong Lai, Minister of Transport of Malaysia. In his opening speech, Liow noted the important role that port state control plays in promoting effective implementation of international maritime conventions. He also commended the Tokyo MOU’s success and achievement in regards to the elimination of substandard ships in the region. Lastly, he reconfirmed the active participation in and continuous contribution to the Tokyo MOU by Malaysia. 

 

The meeting was attended by the member authorities of Australia, Canada, Chile, China, Hong Kong (China), Japan, the Republic of Korea, Malaysia, the Marshall Islands, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, the Philippines, the Russian Federation, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam, as well as newly accepted cooperating member authority Panama, cooperating member authority of Peru and observers of DPR Korea, Macao (China), the United States Coast Guard, the Black Sea MOU, the Indian Ocean MOU, the Paris MOU, the Riyadh MOU and the Viña del Mar Agreement.

 

Prior to the committee meeting, the ninth meeting of the Technical Working Group (TWG) was convened October 2-3, 2015. The TWG meeting discussed matters relating to PSC technical procedures and guidelines, the Concentrated Inspection Campaigns; information system and information exchange, evaluation of work done by intersessional technical groups and technical cooperation activities.

 

The committee reviewed and revised the strategic plan, strategic directions and the list of planned actions for five-year period from 2016 to 2020. The committee considered and approved the amendments to the guidelines for the detention review panel, guidelines for the responsibility assessment of RO and guidelines for PSC officers on Maritime Labor Convention. The committee approved the new version of the Port State Control Manual, which will be published internally at the beginning of December 2015.

 

The committee considered and approved the final report of the CIC on STCW Hours of Rest 2014. Having considered relevant circumstance, the committee decided to conduct the CIC on Cargo Securing Arrangements in 2016. In this connection, the committee approved the questionnaire and guidelines for the CIC on Cargo Securing Arrangements in principle. By the agreement with the Paris MOU, the committee confirmed to carry out a joint CIC on Safety of Navigation in 2017.

 

The committee approved a revised strategic plan for technical cooperation programs for the period of 2016-2020. The committee commended the effective and successful implementation of the technical cooperation programs. The committee expressed appreciation to the Nippon Foundation for the support provided to the technical cooperation programs.

 

By the initiative of Canada, a Third Joint Ministerial Conference of the Paris and Tokyo Memoranda on Port State Control has been planned to be held in Canada April 2017. A preparatory discussion group meeting was convened in conjunction with the committee meeting for the purpose of identifying issues to be addressed by the Ministers.

 

The committee elected Carlos Fanta, Head, Port State Control Division, Directorate of Maritime Safety, Security and Operation, Directorate General of the Maritime Territory and Merchant Marine (DIRECTEMAR) of Chile, as the new Chairman and Alex Schultz-Altmann, Manager, Ship Inspection and Registration, Ship Safety Division, Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA), as the new vice chairman of the committee for the next three meetings.

 

The 27th meeting of the Port State Control Committee will be held in Australia in October 2016.