MARKET ASSESSMENT AND REQUIREMENTS
This section addresses the principal customers of ISO/TC8 and the market needs. The industry that is served is international shipping and shipbuilding, which is comprised of shipbuilders, ship repairers, ship owners, ship operators and marine suppliers. The principal government organization that is served is the International Maritime Organization (IMO) which sets the requirements and regulations for the maritime industry to promote the highest practicable standards in maritime safety, efficiency of navigation, and prevention and control of maritime pollution. The principal international conventions of IMO are SOLAS (Safety of Life at Sea), MARPOL (Prevention of Pollution from Ships) and STCW (Standards of Training, Certification and Watchkeeping for Seafarers). Thus on the one hand our market is the regulatory body that is responsible for setting requirements and establishing regulations and on the other hand it is the global maritime industry.
What must be done to achieve a "well-balanced optimum" between achieving the desired global levels of safety and environmental protection and maintaining a level playing field with sufficient freedom for the maritime industry to apply innovative technology? We believe that a key step in achieving the "well-balanced optimum" lies in recognition of another I- the I in "integration." The strategy and objectives for ISO/TC8 is to be the "linking" instrument between IMO and the Industry, which has been discussed in the "Strategy and Objectives" Section of this Business Plan. To be effective in executing this strategy requires the 'T' for integration between IMO and ISO. Thus to meet our market requirements, we have built a solid roof resting on solid pillars - IMO, ISO, Industry, and Integration. A close collaboration between IMO and ISO will permit the "requirements" to be established using technical standards as the foundation for the content of the requirements. With the limited resources of both organizations such an approach would come closer to the "optimum." The adoption of ISO standards could offer greater participation by the industry and provide technical voluntary consensus standards developed for and by industry to be considered in the requirements establishing process.
