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More reporting and greater awareness leading to increased government reaction is proving a successful strategy in the battle against piracy, says the ICC International Maritime Bureau (IMB). Worldwide piracy attacks fell for the third year in a row according to the latest annual report from the IMB.
In 2006, there were 239 attacks on ships, compared to 276 in 2005 and 329 in 2004 says the annual report, which is based on statistics compiled by the IMB Piracy Reporting Centre (PRC) in Kuala Lumpur. This shows a systematic decline not witnessed at any time since the PRC began its analysis in 1991. That, the IMB says, should be seen as a cautious sign for optimism and a signal that continued action can go a long way towards solving the problem of piracy and armed robbery at sea.
Welcoming a third consecutive fall in attacks, the IMB paid tribute to the work of the PRC and reiterated the critical role it plays in identifying high risk areas, raising awareness of the issues and forcing governments to react to them. ‘I cannot emphasise too much the importance that reliable and meaningful statistics have played in recent years in opening up the debate on piracy, in bringing it to the attention of a wider audience, and in getting governments to take action,’ says IMB Director Pottengal Mukundan.
‘Before the PRC, most governments did not appreciate the nature or magnitude of the problem. Now they do, many countries realise it is something they cannot ignore. As a result they have become more willing to take action and this is really starting to pay dividends.
‘We have to keep up the pressure by encouraging more ships to report attacks, getting ever more accurate figures, and increasing awareness. The strategy is working and there are now signs the war against piracy can be won. We just have to keep doing what we have been doing,’ he adds.
Turning to the report for 2006, Captain Mukundan moved away from the headlines to some of the areas where he said there was still plenty of room for improvement and opportunities for the shipping industry and governments to make a difference. Urging continued action that could preserve the improved piracy situation in the Malacca Straits, he highlighted those areas of the world where a similar approach was needed. They included Indonesia, still the world’s hottest piracy hotspot, Nigeria, Somalia, and the ports of Chittagong in Bangladesh and Santos in Brazil.
Whilst Indonesia’s issues have long been documented in IMB piracy reports, the number of attacks has fallen significantly from 79 in 2005 to 50 in 2006. He said the growing spate of attacks and kidnapping of foreign oil workers in Nigeria was something that must be tackled. What was required was a more vigorous response from the Navy to the attacks on oil vessels, a greater willingness of local police to arrest the gangs known to be perpetrating these crimes, and more support from the national government.
Somalia’s recent removal of the Islamic militia that had been taking such a hard stance on piracy was also of concern he said, adding that within days of their influence being removed there had been an attempted attack on an American bulk carrier in Somali waters, the first for a number of months. Now that a recognised central government has been re-established in the country, it must start to exert control over the militias – something it failed to do previously – or else face the prospect that pirate attacks will resume their previous levels.
In Bangladesh, the attacks have more than doubled to 47. Although it is currently the number two world piracy hotspot for attacks numerically, they are occurring in a much smaller geographical area than in Indonesia. More has to be done to stop piracy against ships at anchor at the mouth of the river off Chittagong. The coastal region in this area is very poor and anchored ships make for a very tempting target. Attacks may be of a low level, with the pirates only seeking to steal anything they can lay their hands on that can be sold, but they are nevertheless armed and pose a serious danger to seafarers. The government of Bangladesh says it is taking action but given that the attackers are concentrated in a very small area there is surely more they could do.
Finally, the port of Santos in Brazil is currently experiencing a wave of attacks against container ships at anchor. The pirates board, break open containers and steal their contents, but the local police apparently do very little to tackle them on their return to shore.
If some of these local issues saw more preventive action and national problems were addressed more pro-actively, it would go a long way to reducing attacks says Captain Mukundan. But much of the catalyst for this needs to come from the ships themselves, who must report attacks no matter how small, so that a clear picture of the true extent of the problem can be seen and the appropriate measures implemented to deal with it.
The 2006 attacks may be viewed on the IMB Live Piracy Map at http://www.icc-ccs.org.uk/prc/piracy_rep_app.php.
On a trial basis, IMB is offering the report free of charge. To request a PDF version of the report by email, please visit: http://www.icc-ccs.org.uk/prc/piracy_rep_app.php
For further information please contact Captain Pottengal Mukundan, Director, IMB, phone +44 208 591 3000, email: p.mukundan@icc-ccs.org.uk
IMB Press Release
A raft of new international standards for passenger ship safety were adopted when IMO’s Maritime Safety Committee (MSC) met in Istanbul, Turkey, for its 82nd session from 29 November to 8 December 2006. Other important issues on the MSC agenda included maritime security and the role of the human element.
The package of amendments to the 1974 International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS) adopted at the session were the result of a comprehensive review of passenger ship safety initiated in 2000 with the aim of assessing whether the current regulations were adequate, in particular for the large passenger ships now being built. The work in developing new and amended regulations has based its guiding philosophy on the dual premise that the regulatory framework should place more emphasis on the prevention of a casualty from occurring in the first place and that future passenger ships should be designed for improved survivability so that, in the event of a casualty, persons can stay safely on board as the ship proceeds to port.
The amendments include new concepts such as the incorporation of criteria for the casualty threshold (the amount of damage a ship is able to withstand, according to the design basis, and still safely return to port) into SOLAS chapters II-1 and II-2. The amendments also provide regulatory flexibility so that ship designers can meet any safety challenges the future may bring. The amendments include:
• alternative designs and arrangements;
• safe areas and the essential systems to be maintained while a ship proceeds to port after a casualty, which will require redundancy of propulsion and other essential systems;
• on-board safety centres, from where safety systems can be controlled, operated and monitored;
• fixed fire detection and alarm systems, including requirements for fire detectors and manually operated call points to be capable of being remotely and individually identified;
• fire prevention, including amendments aimed at enhancing the fire safety of atriums, the means of escape in case of fire in ventilation systems; and
• time for orderly evacuation and abandonment, including requirements for the essential systems that must remain operational in case any one main vertical zone is unserviceable due to fire.
The amendments are expected to enter into force on 1 July 2010.
The MSC adopted amendments to SOLAS chapter II-2 and to the International Code for Fire Safety Systems (FSS Code) to strengthen the fire protection arrangements in relation to cabin balconies on passenger vessels. The amendments were developed in response to the fire aboard the cruise ship Star Princess, while on passage between Grand Cayman and Montego Bay, Jamaica, in March of this year. The fire began on an external balcony and spread over several decks.
The amendments to SOLAS chapter II-2 are aimed at ensuring that existing regulations 4.4 (Primary deck coverings), 5.3.1.2 (Ceilings and linings), 5.3.2 (Use of combustible materials) and 6 (Smoke generation potential and toxicity) are also applied to cabin balconies on new passenger ships. For existing passenger ships, relevant provisions require that furniture on cabin balconies be of restricted fire risk unless fixed water spraying systems, fixed fire detection and fire alarm systems are fitted and that partitions separating balconies be constructed of non-combustible materials, similar to the provisions for new passenger ships.
The amendments are expected to enter into force on 1 July 2008.
The MSC began consideration of issues relating to the security aspects of the operation of ships which do not fall within the scope of SOLAS chapter XI-2 and the ISPS Code (including cargo ships of less than 500 gross tonnage which travel on international routes). The Committee agreed that non-SOLAS vessels shared the same operational environment as ships which fall within the scope of application of SOLAS chapter XI-2 and the operations of the former affect the security of the latter. Thus, it was necessary to address the security aspects of the operation of non-SOLAS ships in a systematic and analytical manner, so as to achieve a tangible enhancement of the global security net which the provisions of SOLAS chapter XI-2 and the ISPS Code were seeking to establish.
It was agreed also that any guidelines developed should be non-mandatory and that their application should be under the purview of the individual Contracting Governments concerned and proportionate to the assessed levels of threat and risk.
A correspondence group was established to undertake a study to determine the scope of the issues and threats involved and to develop recommendatory guidelines on measures to enhance maritime security to complement measures required by SOLAS chapter XI-2 and the ISPS Code, which could be utilised by Contracting Governments and/or Administrations at their own discretion.
The MSC made progress on the development of the technical specifications of the components of the Long Range Identification and Tracking (LRIT) System, including the technical specifications for the International LRIT Data Exchange, the International LRIT Data Centre and for communication within the LRIT System network; protocols for the development testing of the LRIT System and for the testing of the integration into the system of new LRIT data centres; and guidance on setting up and maintaining the Data Distribution Plan.
It was agreed that the ad hoc Working Group on engineering aspects of LRIT should be reconvened to further develop the draft technical specifications; update the required technical documents; prepare a technical costing and billing standard for LRIT; consider technical issues and develop technical criteria to be taken into account when establishing the International LRIT Data Centre and the International LRIT Data Exchange; liaise with the IMO Secretariat regarding consistency, security and other aspects of the Data Distribution Plan with the technical specifications; and ensure that the testing documents completely address the Performance Standards.
In considering the role of performance review and audit of certain aspects of the LRIT system, the MSC appointed the International Mobile Satellite Organization (IMSO) as the LRIT Co-ordinator.
The new regulation on LRIT, which is included in SOLAS chapter V on Safety of Navigation, was adopted at the last MSC session in May, along with related performance standards. LRIT will be introduced as a mandatory requirement for the following ships on international voyages: passenger ships, including high-speed craft; cargo ships, including high-speed craft, of 300 gross tonnage and upwards; and mobile offshore drilling units. If accepted by 1 July 2007, the regulation is expected to enter into force on 1 January 2008 and will apply to ships constructed on or after 31 December 2008 with a phased-in implementation schedule for ships constructed before 31 December 2008. LRIT is intended to be operational with respect to the transmission of LRIT information by ships as from 31 December 2008.
The Joint MSC/MEPC Working Group on Human Element met during the session to consider human element issues.
The Group reviewed the report of the Inter-Industry Working Group (IIWG) and the Human Factors Task Group (HFTG), established to study the reported incidents of explosions on chemical and product carriers and agreed that it was difficult to draw conclusive analysis from existing casualty reports due to the lack of human element considerations during these investigations, such as investigators asking the relevant questions to determine if the human element was a contributing factor in the casualty. Nonetheless, the industry’s review of its procedures and guidelines was a very positive step towards addressing the issue. Member States were urged to provide reports of casualty investigations to the Sub-Committee on Flag State Implementation (FSI) expeditiously, with a view to arriving at constant and consistent analysis to ensure that such accidents and incidents do not recur.
The Human Element Working Group also considered the report of the Group of Independent Experts (GIE) established by the Secretary-General to analyse the impact of the International Safety Management (ISM) Code and its effectiveness in the enhancement of safety of life at sea and protection of the marine environment.
The Committee agreed with the recommendations made by the GIE, in particular that: guidelines for Administrations should be revised to make them more effective and user-friendly; and guidelines and associated training should be developed to assist companies and seafarers in improving the implementation of the Code. It also agreed that the results of the study should be given wide publicity across the industry.
In discussing the GIE’s conclusions, the MSC agreed that the paperwork that supports ISM compliance should be proportionate to the size, type and operation of the company; concise and user-friendly; and relevant to the operations related to safety and environmental protection.
The Committee noted that the industry had identified common areas between the ISM and ISPS Codes and that resolution A.852(20) on Guidelines for a structure of an integrated system of contingency planning for shipboard emergencies, may provide guidance to handle or manage common areas of the ISM and ISPS Codes.
It was noted that, in order to properly motivate seafarers, companies should take into account feedback from shipboard personnel, including the outcome of shipboard safety committees to improve their operations and procedures relating to safety and environmental protection and it was essential for the company to respond in a constructive and timely fashion to any feedback received from seafarers operating the safety management system (SMS). Since seafarers are integral to the effective operation of the SMS, they should, therefore, be involved in the development and improvement of the system in order to ensure that the manuals are proportionate, concise and relevant.
The MSC agreed there was a need to encourage companies and seafarers to document and record information on near misses and hazardous situations in order to understand the precursors to events that were detrimental to safety and the marine environment. It invited Member Governments, intergovernmental and non-governmental organisations in consultative status to submit proposals to the next session of the Joint MSC/MEPC Working Group on the Human Element, which is scheduled to be reconvened at MEPC 6 (9 to 13 July 2007).
IMO Press Release
The Australian Minister for the Environment and Heritage, Senator Ian Campbell has welcomed a United States court decision finding Antonio Vidal Pego, a Spanish national, and Fadilur S.A, a Uruguayan company, guilty on charges of attempting to illegally import and sell Patagonian Toothfish.
‘This result comes after an international hunt that involved law enforcement officers of several countries, including Australia, to bring to justice the main players involved in the insidious illegal toothfish trade,’ said Minister Campbell.
Minister Campbell welcomed the tough penalties handed down by the court and said that this sets a precedent in the global fight against illegal, unregulated and unreported (IUU) fishing. ‘By handing down a guilty verdict a Florida Court has sent the clear message that the international community will not tolerate the pillaging of our oceans and will take strong action to prevent illegal fishing.
‘Illegal fishing is a serious threat to the conservation of the Southern Ocean ecosystem; it degrades fish stocks and long lines take an enormous death toll on albatross and other endangered seabirds,’ Minister Campbell said.
In May 2004, Antonio Vidal Pego and Fadilur, S.A. attempted to import approximately 25 tonnes of toothfish from Singapore into Miami, for sale in the United States. The fish were taken and transported in violation of the Convention on the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR).
Antonio Vidal Pego was placed on probation for four years, and is required to cease all involvement in the toothfish industry, direct or indirect. Additionally, a fine of $400,000 was also imposed against Vidal by the Court.
The Uruguayan company, Fadilur, S.A., was also placed on probation for a period of four years. Additionally, the company was fined $100,000, and is required to cease all corporate activities and dissolve as a business entity within 45 days of the judgment being handed down.
Department of Environment and Heritage Press Release
The orange roughy fish species will be added to the threatened species list under Australian environment law, the Australian Minister for the Environment and Heritage Senator Ian Campbell has announced. ‘Orange roughy is the first commercially harvested fish to be listed under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (EPBC Act),’ Senator Campbell said.
The EPBC Act provides for:
• identification and listing of Threatened Species and Threatened Ecological Communities;
• development of Recovery Plans for listed species and ecological communities;
• recognition of Key Threatening Processes; and where appropriate
• reducing these processes through Threat Abatement Plans.
Orange roughy will be listed as conservation dependent, and will be managed subject to a conservation program to be implemented by the Australian Fisheries Management Authority (AFMA). ‘Scientific advice to me indicated that orange roughy is under considerable pressure and protection under environment law is needed if the species is to have any chance of long-term survival,’ Senator Campbell said.
The conservation program will protect orange roughy from over-fishing, in part by prohibiting targeted fishing in fishing zones. Catch limits at the Cascade Plateau will be set at levels that will conserve the species – AFMA has already announced a reduction in the zone’s 2007 total allowable orange roughy catch.
‘My decision to add the orange roughy to the threatened species list follows careful consideration of the scientific information, as well as extensive consultation with experts and the public,’ Senator Campbell said.
Orange roughy are found in south-eastern and south-western Australia, the Great Australian Bight and around Tasmania, and have been one of the primary species caught in Australia’s south-east fisheries since the late 1980s. It can live to well over 100 years, and reach maturity at between 20 and 30 years of age. Unlike many fish species, its reproduction rate is low.
After rapid fishing of Australia’s orange roughy populations, stocks are down to unsustainable levels. The only place they now remain in any number is on the Cascade Plateau, an underwater volcano found south-east of Tasmania.
The Australian Government describes the Cascade as a complex geological structure, containing many different micro habitats and deep sea corals that live for more than 300 years. The Cascade, at certain times, also supports large numbers of whales (e.g. beaked, sperm, pilot and killer whales) and dolphins.
‘My decision reflects the Australian Government’s commitment to biodiversity conservation and sustainable use of our natural resources,’ Senator Campbell said.
Further information about the listing of the orange roughy under the EPBC Act will be available online at: www.deh.gov.au/biodiversity/threatened/index.html
Department of Environment and Heritage Press Release
Australia has successfully led an international push to allow carbon to be stored deep beneath the ocean floor as part of global efforts to address climate change, according to the Minister for the Environment and Heritage, Senator Ian Campbell.
An international agreement, known as the London Protocol, which governs the responsible and environmentally sensible management of wastes and other matters in the marine environment, was amended in London in November. The London Convention 1972 is an international treaty that limits the discharge of wastes that are generated on land and disposed of at sea. The 1996 London Protocol is a separate agreement that modernised and updated the London Convention, following a detailed review that began in 1993. The 1996 Protocol will eventually replace the London Convention.
The Australian-led amendments to the London Protocol, championed by Senator Campbell, will allow member countries to capture carbon-dioxide streams and store them in geological formations deep under the ocean floor, while protecting the marine environment.
‘This is a win for Australia but more importantly for the international fight against climate change,’ said Senator Campbell.
‘Carbon capture and storage – or geosequestration – is one of the crucial tools in our toolbox. These technologies are relatively new but have enormous potential to help the world reduce its greenhouse gas emissions.
‘This Australian-led push will now enable carbon to be stored under the ocean floor in a safe, responsible and environmentally effective way, while potentially making a substantial contribution to reducing global greenhouse gas emissions.
‘What this really means is we can put the carbon that we extract from under the ocean floor through gas and other mineral exploration – carbon that has been sitting there for millions of years – back where it belongs.
‘Geosequestration uses largely existing technology, but applies it in a new way to permanently prevent the captured carbon-dioxide from entering the atmosphere.
‘Like onshore geosequestration, storing carbon dioxide beneath the ocean floor will be an important part of our “multi-track” response to climate change.
‘It is an example of the important role low emission technologies can play. Australia has consistently argued that a range of technologies will be needed to address climate change.’ Senator Campbell said that climate change is now being recognised as a serious problem by the international community, and that the Australian Government has welcomed this opportunity to again negotiate practical international solutions in the fight against climate change.
‘It is important that national and international legal frameworks keep up with the rapid rate of development of new technologies to lessen the effects of climate change,’ Senator Campbell said.
The Australian Government is driving the development of these low-emission technologies at home through its $500 million Low Emission Technology Demonstration Fund.
Department of Environment and Heritage Press Release
Australia and New Zealand have reached agreement on a range of marine environmental measures which pave the way for a new era of ocean management between the two countries. Four key areas of marine environmental protection were identified as priorities for co-operation at the meeting of the Natural Resource Management Ministerial Council in Christchurch, New Zealand on 24 November. They were:
• a commitment to explore the possibility of marine protection in areas where the exclusive economic zones of Australia and New Zealand meet, and the science necessary to underpin such protection;
• leading efforts to conserve whales through the International Whaling Commission and the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals;
• jointly developing a Memorandum of Understanding for the Conservation of Cetaceans and their Habitats in the Pacific Region, which has now been signed by nine countries; and
• leading efforts to conserve albatrosses and petrels through the Agreement on the Conservation of Albatrosses and Petrels.
Minister for the Environment and Heritage Senator Ian Campbell was represented at the talks by his Parliamentary Secretary Greg Hunt MP, who led negotiations with New Zealand’s Minister for Conservation, Mr Chris Carter MP.
At the conclusion of the talks, Senator Campbell said: ‘The Governments of Australia and New Zealand are showing the world what cooperation can achieve in marine environment protection and biodiversity conservation and today’s agreement strengthens our ties.’
Mr Carter said the communiqué marked an exciting opportunity for both countries. ‘I look forward to significant progress resulting from this initiative. Australia and New Zealand face many of the same marine issues,’ Mr Carter said. ‘There is no fence between our waters. We can help each other, and in doing so we can help the marine species we share.’
Department of Environment and Heritage Press Release
Australian climate scientists in Hobart and their international colleagues are celebrating the feats of a tiny New Zealand research vessel that is transforming the study of oceans and climate in the Southern Hemisphere. Just 28 metres in length, the Kaharoa is operated by the National Institute of Water and the Atmosphere (NIWA).
The Kaharoa has earned its fame among global climate and oceanography communities by deploying more robotic ocean profilers – called Argo floats – than any other research vessel. Of the 2,573 floats reporting every 10 days on sub-surface ocean conditions, the Kaharoa has deployed more than 400 Argo floats in the past three years in remote parts of the South Pacific and Indian oceans.
‘This is an especially significant effort that is allowing scientists to get a handle on ocean conditions in the Australasian region,’ says Australian Argo project leader, Dr Susan Wijffels, from the CSIRO Wealth from Oceans Flagship. She said the distribution of heat in our neighbouring oceans strongly affects Australian rainfall and the Indian-Australian monsoon season. When fully developed, the Argo network will provide a climate warning system.
‘The Argo program is primarily reliant on commercial, naval and research vessels to deploy the robotic instruments, however, in nearby ocean basins such as the Southern, Indian and Pacific Oceans, shipping traffic is limited. We have therefore had to rely in great part on the Kaharoa to deploy New Zealand and US robotic profilers on trans-Pacific and trans-Indian Ocean voyages, and well south into the Southern Ocean,’ Dr Wijffels says.
The Argo program is a major international endeavour The data collected includes ocean temperatures, salinities, and float location. The 1.5 metre-long cylindrical aluminium Argo floats have a lifetime of three to five years and can be deployed from ships or low-flying airplanes. Scientists utilise the near-real time data to create ocean ‘weather’ maps showing currents and large-scale temperature and salinity patterns. They also use the same information to improve predictions of seasonal climate.
Argo is the float component of an even larger international collaboration incorporating float data, satellite data, and modelling projects. This umbrella framework, termed the Global Ocean Data Assimilation Experiment, (GODAE) aims to produce world ocean current maps in near real-time – or within 24 hours of receiving the information on ocean conditions from the robotic floats.
The Kaharoa’s Argo deployment voyages are jointly sponsored by US Argo and NIWA. US Argo is funded by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration through the University of Washington and the Scripps Institution of Oceanography at the University of California-San Diego (UCSD).
‘The Argo program is primarily reliant on commercial, naval and research vessels to deploy the robotic instruments, however, in nearby ocean basins such as the Southern, Indian and Pacific Oceans, shipping traffic is limited.’
US coordinator, Dr Dean Roemmich, from Scripps Institution of Oceanography UCSD, says without this collaboration, Argo coverage of the little-travelled mid-South Pacific Ocean could not have been achieved. Australia presently has 105 floats, with commitments to deploy another 50 or so in the next 12 months.
CSIRO Press Release
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