The IMO Symposium on the ‘Future of Ship Safety’ has recommended that the Maritime Safety Committee (MSC) carries out a full review of the existing safety regulatory framework in order to meet future needs and expectations.
The symposium, held on 10 and 11 June 2013, discussed a wide range of issues impacting the future of ship safety.
Koji Sekimizu, secretary general, IMO, said: “The serious challenge maritime training institutes are now facing is to keep up with new technology and this must be addressed. Currently, the shipping industry is facing serious financial difficulties but it needs to comply with regulations for marine environment protection.”
The participants of the symposium have recommended that the IMO consider how to improve data collection and increase its availability in order to support monitoring and development of safety regulations.
The IMO has also been advised to encourage a safety culture beyond mere compliance with regulatory requirements and to consider how to better integrate risk based methodologies and the latest analysis techniques into the safety regulatory framework.
This should provide a sound scientific and practicable basis for the development of future safety regulations.
