UK Government to tighten up port safety

The changes were unveiled at a special event on board HQS Wellington in association with the Port of London Authority. The revised Code and the accompanying Guide to Good Practice are designed to promote safety amongst the 54,000 people who work in ports around the country through greater transparency of roles, responsibilities and legal obligations for the industry. Transport Minister Paul Clark said, ‘With 54,000 people working at our ports, it’s very encouraging to see tireless dedication to high standards across the industry, making ports safety here among the best in the world. When accidents do happen, the consequences can be very serious, but thanks to the professionalism of those who manage our ports this is now a rarity.’

Port of London Authority chief harbour master David Snelson said, ‘The Port Marine Safety Code is the cornerstone of UK harbour authorities’ operations. This new edition provides improved guidelines and principles for each port’s Safety Management System, which identify risks and steps needed to eliminate or keep them to a minimum. This helps ensure people, vessels and the environment stay safe.’

‘The revision to the Code brings a consistent template to this important safety tool, which can be scaled up or down to suit large ports like London or smaller harbours like Fowey. Its importance can’t be overstated, as ports are essential trade gateways which at their most basic help keep people clothed, fed and warm.’

Over the past year, a working group of industry representatives, the Maritime and Coastguard Agency and Department for Transport (DfT) officials have been updating the two documents. The group concluded that the Code should be refreshed to enable easier implementation of the Code by harbour authorities through the use of plain English and clarity of detail.

Improvements to the shortened document include clearer definitions of roles, notably those of the ‘duty holder; and ‘designated person’; advice on incident management to harbour authorities; as well as details of relevant new legislation and Information and links for port personnel to learn lessons arising from Marine Accident Investigation Branch (MAIB) reports.

Copies of the refreshed Code and Guide can be found on the DfT website under the ‘Ports’ section at http:www.dft.gov.uk/pgr/shippingports/ports/