More pressure on substandard shipping

Further efforts are being made to eliminate substandard shipping. The Committee for the Elimination of Substandard Ships (CESS) meeting in Pusan came up with a seven-point plan while the OECD is exploring the idea of a `quality ship index`.

While applauding the effects of Port State Control, CESS wishes to see its extension to other areas of the world and an increase in the inspection rates in countries which are performing at well below the average. It would also like to see economic and/or operational sanctions against vessels and owners repeatedly detained by PSC.

Also proposed is the restriction of ship registrations and certification privileges to Flag States which have long-term casualty and detention rates several times higher than the world average. CESS suggests providing technical assistance to substandard Flag States to improve their maritime safety administration.

Economic assistance should be provided to countries to set up ecologically sound and economically viable ship scrapping facilities. Other measures include supporting the extension of measures such as the annual drydock bottom survey required by Korea for tankers over 20 years and all ships over 30 years.

The emphasis from OECD is to look wider than the owners/charterers to the shipping industry as a whole. The suggestion is that others such as freight forwarders, charterers, bankers and insurers could be persuaded to withdraw their patronage from operators of substandard ships.