Page 25: of Marine News Magazine (January 2019)

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to agree solutions for speci? c ships and services. China in December within their proposal to the 100th ses-

In recent months Interferry has also been involved in sion of the IMO’s Maritime Safety Committee (MSC) for encouraging dialogue with the CSO Alliance of maritime a comprehensive study on domestic passenger vessel safety. company security of? cers, which has 700 members in National sovereignty has always presented a procedural more than 40 countries and runs a 24/7 support platform challenge for the IMO given that its remit is usually con- linked to all the key military and merchant marine report- ? ned to international regulations. However, MSC noted ing centers. A keynote presentation by the Alliance at our strong support for the issue and invited China and others 43rd annual conference in October explained a new initia- to submit more detailed proposals for future consideration. tive to combat cyber attacks and also announced ongoing Summing up … it’s been an exceptionally busy year, but discussions to form a sector-speci? c security partnership that is entirely in keeping with Interferry’s status as the ferry between ferry ports and ferry operators. industry’s global voice. Safety, security and the environment are issues that our current 230 members in 37 countries

AFETY FIRST

S regard as a journey, not a destination – and this combined

Interferry’s key role in wide-ranging safety initiatives is strength will ensure that we continue to make a difference. growing at ever-increasing pace. Last year I mentioned that

Mike Corrigan is CEO of Interferry, the trade association that we had set up a working group to join a European Maritime represents the worldwide ferry industry. Mike brings extensive ex-

Safety Agency study on ? re protection. The initial phase ecutive experience in the ferry industry, most recently as the CEO of has focused on vehicle deck electrical connections and the

BC Ferries, one of the world’s largest ferry operators. During Mike’s effectiveness of traditional detection and extinguishing sys- tenure with BC Ferries, the company became recognized as a world leader in safety and operational excellence, set record earnings lev- tems. In March we made a crucial intervention at the ? fth els, invested $2 Billion in ships and terminals, and established itself annual session of the IMO’s Ship Systems and Equipment as an employee-centric company earning top employer recognition.

(SSE) sub-committee, arguing that some proposals – such as ? tting earth fault breakers and the positioning of sprin- klers - were practicable for newbuilds but needed to allow

E|AYÐGE^SsÐSAYEusYOG?OIÐAOŽY for adaptations to the current systems on existing ships. ?A??ŽYlSGtAlG??

The second phase of the study is now under way, with ? nd- (Compared to 10 Days in a Simulator) ings due to be submitted at this year’s SSE6 session.

I also reported last January that we had formed a Do-

This USCG approved Manned Model course meets STCW mestic Ferry Safety Committee to help forge world-class

ZG??s?GwGYl?IŽ?A??G??sYOwAYAOGwGYluG|GuEGÐUŽ?ÐG??

improvements in developing nations. Domestic routes ac- count for 93% of known fatalities – almost certainly un- der-recorded at around 1,200 per year – and two-thirds of these occur in seven countries headed by the Philippines,

Bangladesh and Indonesia. The committee was briefed to carry out a risk assessment, identify drivers for change and then approach potential collaborators and funding part- ners such as suppliers, classi? cation societies and the IMO.

Considerable headway has already been made, with par- ticipation in a series of safety summits in Asia including both sessions to date of the specially formed ASEAN Regional Fo-

EEsOŽYAud?AsYsYOAlDD?

rum (ARF) on ferry safety. The latest of these was in China

KW???Y?AusIGE/YEs|sE?Au?sG??Gu?ŽwÐAY??&AÐsusl?^GÐ??sl?K?ÐG?

in November and, like the inaugural workshop, offered in- ^dtA?sÐd?AsYsYO?/^ valuable insights on best practices. The event was co-hosted &A?lZG?Ð?GŽAl?ZAEA?ZGÐG?OIÐAOŽY by the Philippines, where there has been a notable safety up- surge in recent years. We have now applied for ? nancial sup- port from a leading charitable foundation which, if success- ful, will enable us to carry out a ‘lessons learned’ project in the Philippines for the bene? t of other developing nations. dGu?;?????????????wAsu?Ðwl?wA?sOwG?GE?

Meanwhile, Interferry’s long-standing engagement with ????wA?sOwG?GE??Ðwl the IMO on safety in these nations was acknowledged by 25 www.marinelink.com MN

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