The 5th Session of The Port State Control Committee in The Black Sea Region
NOVOROSSIYSK, RUSSIA
(27 - 30 APRIL 2004)
Novorossiysk - The Port State Control Committee, the executive body under the Memorandum of Understanding on Port State Control in the Black Sea Region (Black Sea MOU), met in Novorossiysk, Russia, from 27 to 30 April 2004 for its fifth session.
The meeting was chaired by Dr. Vitali Kliuev, the Russian Federation. On behalf of the honourable host, Capt. Vladimir Yerygin, the harbour-master of the port of Novorossiysk, welcomed all participants to Russia and made an opening speech. Capt Yerygin stressed the importance of assurance that ships sailing in the Black Sea comply at all times with maritime safety and maritime pollution prevention standards prescribed by the IMO Conventions, since there is a strong correlation between maritime safety and prevention of pollution resulting from accidents. The speaker commended on the progresses achieved in implementation of the Memorandum. He observed that the development of port State control in the region kept on the right track and wished the Port State Control Committee success in its efforts in this regard. Furthermore, Capt. Yerygin assured the commitment of Russia on strengthening port State control activities and contribution to the safety and quality of shipping.
The Black Sea MOU was signed in April 2000 by 6 maritime Authorities in this region. The International Maritime Organization and the International Labour Organization are associated with the Black Sea MOU as observers. The Port State Control Committee was established in accordance with the Memorandum and meets once a year. This fifth session of the Committee, in Novorossiysk, was attended by representatives of the Authorities of Bulgaria, Georgia, Romania, the Russian Federation, Turkey and Ukraine, and observer from the International Maritime Organization. Representatives from the United States Coast Guard on PSC, Commission on the protection of Black Sea Against Pollution & Emergency Response Activity Center also participated in the meeting.
The Port State Control Committee noted the report of the Secretariat on its activity during intersessional period and approved the report with appreciation to the Secretariat for its considerable input in successful functioning of the organization. The Secretariat is established in Istanbul by the Turkish Maritime Administration in accordance with the decision of the signatory meeting of the Memorandum.
The Port State Control Committee considered application for observer status by the Mediterranean MOU and unanimously accepted it as observer to the Black Sea MOU.
The Committee considered and approved in principle the 2003 Annual Report. It is expected that the report will be published in May 2004, upon finalization of statistics and incorporation of editorial improvements.
The Port State Control Committee noted invitation to the Second Joint Paris MOU/Tokyo MOU Ministerial Conference which will be held on 2-3 November in Vancouver, at the initiative of the Government of Canada. The Committee confirmed participation of the Black Sea MOU in the Conference and recommended Chairman to represent the BS MOU at the event.
The Committee accepted the Initial "Rules of Procedure for Review Board" to implement on a trial basis. BS MOU Rules of Procedure for Review Board will be displayed on the BS MOU Web Site www.bsmou.org, in due time.
The Port State Control Committee also discussed issues regarding maritime security. The Committee agreed to take a harmonized approach for checking of maritime security during PSC inspections. Recognizing the importance of ensuring effective implementation of the ISPS Code, the Committee decided that, as a demonstration of the commitment of the Black Sea MOU, a letter of warning will be issued from 1 May 2004 to ships to which the ISPS Code is applicable and which are found not ready for compliance with requirements of the ISPS Code. Moreover, the Committee agreed to carry out a concentrated inspection campaign from 1 July to 30 September 2004, simultaneously with the Paris MOU, Tokyo MOU and USCG, and using the same check list.
The Committee approved launching public MOU web-site available at www.bsmou.org.
To provide transparency of the MOU activity and taking into account successful operation of the MOU information system it is decided to start open publication of PSC inspection results in Internet via public MOU web-site mentioned above. It is expected that the project will be finalized by the end of year 2004.
The Committee unanimously elected Dr. Vitali Kliuev, the Russian Federation, as a Chairman and Mr Valeri Imnaishvily as vice-Chairman for the next session.
The next sixth meeting of the Port State Control Committee is planned to be held in Batumi, Georgia in April 2005.
30 April 2004
Contact
Black Sea MOU Secretariat
Meclisi Mebusan Cad. No. 18
Salipazari 80040
Istanbul, Turkey
Telephone: +212-249 1728
Facsimile: +212-292 5277
E-mail: secretariat@bsmou.org
Web-site: www.bsmou.org