Not many people will dispute that shipping is the most international of all commercial and industrial activities. It follows that all regulatory initiatives should be brought for discussion and eventual agreement to a single international forum where the interests of all parties involved in the maritime world are represented. This is the only way of ensuring that all the key parties involved in the shipping industry, from Administrations to ship owners and operators, including classification societies, ship designers, shipbuilders, and many more, can conduct their respective activities on a level playing field, conscious of each other's responsibilities and obligations and willing to discharge their own in such a way that their most valuable assets, i.e., the ship with its crew and passengers, are duly an appropriately protected.

　

That is why the International Maritime Organization was established some 54 years ago with the main objective of safeguarding life at sea and protecting the marine environment from pollution caused by ships. What started then with a small number of traditionally maritime nations has grown to be one of the more efficient and effective of all the United Nations specialized agencies, with 162 Member Governments; two Associate Members; 37 co-operating intergovernmental organizations; and 61 non-governmental international organizations in consultative status, such as the International Chamber of Shipping (ICS), the International Association of Classification Societies (IACS) and, especially, the International Organization for Standardization (ISO). Nowadays IMO is widely regarded as the only forum where safety and pollution prevention regulations affecting international shipping should be considered and adopted though its technical Committees.

　

The regulatory framework adopted at IMO now applies to most of the world shipping fleet. That means that virtually all ships on international voyages should adhere to IMO Conventions and other instruments in force. Due to the limited time available, we will highlight only those current developments relating to maritime safety and security.

　

Under the broad heading of maritime safety, we will review briefly what is expected to occur in the immediate future as regards the two main international Conventions dealing with the safety of life at sea and the ship itself, i.e. the 1974 SOLAS Convention and the 1966 Load Lines Convention and its Protocol of 1988. We will also cast a concise look into the very pressing matter of fishing vessel safety.

　

　

　

As we all know, on 1 July of this year, important amendments to the 1974 SOLAS Convention entered into force for all Contracting Governments. These amendments marked the culmination of years of work within IMO's Maritime Safety Committee and its subsidiary sub-committees. The main modifications may be summarized as follows.

　

SOLAS chapter II-2 on fire protection, fire detection and fire extinction, was given an entirely new structure which will better accommodate the way port and flag States and ship designers deal with fire safety issues. The new structure focuses on the "fire scenario process" rather than on ship type, as the old regulations were structured. In addition, to make the revised chapter II-2 more user-friendly, specific system-related technical requirements were moved to a new International Fire Safety Systems Code, also known as FSS Code, which became mandatory under the Convention

　

An entirely new SOLAS chapter V on Safety of Navigation was adopted to replace the previous one from 1 July 2002. Among the newly introduced requirements, I would like to highlight the mandatory fitting of an automatic identification system, or AIS, on all new ships and on some existing ones, such as passenger ships and tankers. The AIS is meant to provide information automatically to shore stations, other ships and aircraft, including the ship's identity, type, position, course, speed, navigational status and other details, which, as we will see later, may also be of use for maritime security purposes.

　

Another important requirement under chapter V is the fitting of a voyage data recorder, or VDR,on all new ships and on existing passenger ships and ro-ro ships. Like the black boxes carried on aircraft, VDRs will enable accident investigators to review procedures and instructions in the moments before an incident and help to identify the cause of an accident.

　

Finally the adoption of the new 2000 HSC Code, among other things, made it necessary to also amend SOLAS chapter X, in particular to make the new Code mandatory under the Convention.

　

　

Next year it is expected that the harmonization of damage stability provisions in SOLAS chapter II-1 will be finalized. At the moment, passenger and cargo ships are treated differently when carrying out subdivision and damage stability calculations. Once the new regulations are in force,such calculations will be subject to the same principles, based on probabilistic methods. Under the new regime, some old concepts such as the "margin line" will disappear.

　

　

Although the 1966 Load Lines Convention was amended several times since it entered into force in July 1968, the amendments themselves did not become effective because the relevant conditions were not fulfilled. With the entry into force of the 1988 Load Lines Protocol in February 2000, the original Convention was finally modified and a new tacit amendment procedure was introduced.

　

Further amendments to the Convention as modified by the 1988 Protocol have been developed over the past several years and these will be considered by the Maritime Safety Committee this coming December for approval. The amendments address important ship design features, such as the strength of hatch covers and coatings; other hull openings, such as spurling pipes, windows and skylights; means for safe passage of the crew; standard sheer; minimum bow height and reserve buoyancy; and others. These new requirements will enhance the survivability of new designs and, in particular, of bulk carriers.

　

　

For reasons that will become apparent, of the other various developments concerning maritime safety, it is worth highlighting the work on fishing vessel safety being carried out by the Organization.

　

According to some sources, over twenty thousand fishermen lose their lives every year as a consequence of accidents at sea. And yet, the only mandatory instruments designed to protect them, i.e. the Torremolinos Protocol of 1993 relating to the Torremolinos International Convention for the Safety of Fishing Vessels and the International Convention on Standards of Training, Certification and Watchkeeping for Fishing Vessel Personnel, 1995 have not entered into force. although several years have passed since their adoption.

　

This grave situation was echoed by the IMO Assembly in November of last year, where, in adopting resolution A.925(22), it urged Governments to consider accepting both international treaties at the earliest opportunity, offering at the same time technical assistance to those Governments that may experience difficulties in the process.

　

Other two important instruments addressing this critical subject are the FAO/ILO/IMO Code of Safety for Fishermen and Fishing Vessels and the FAO/ILO/IMO Voluntary Guidelines for the Design, Construction and Equipment of Small Fishing Vessels, which are undergoing revision at the moment by a correspondence group. I would take this opportunity to stress the importance of applying these Conventions and Codes, taking into account the urgent need to stem the loss of life in the fishing industry.