Marine Operations Code for Ports: Bulletin No.21 (August 2000)

Bulletin No.21 - August 2000

Port Marine Safety Code

The Port Marine Safety Code has now been published.

Copies of the Code (ISBN 1 85112 365 2) are priced at £10.

The publications home page contains information on how and where you can obtain publications produced by the Department for Transport.

There is no e-mail ordering facility at present.

It is also possible to view and download the Code from the Department's web site from the link at the bottom of this page.

Coverage

The Port Marine Safety Code has been written on the basis that its principles will apply to all statutory harbour authorities to the extent that they have duties and functions to which the Code relates. There is no inventory of which authority has what functions. The Department has focused publicity and monitoring on those authorities with pilotage powers, since these are most likely to be most affected. It has aimed to reach other ports through the representative bodies it has consulted. However, it is now clear that some have slipped through and this is regretted. Any such authority is therefore invited to approach the Department for documents and other information it has not received.

Monitoring

The Department wrote to all pilotage authorities at the end of June inviting them to report progress by the end of August. There have been welcome early responses mainly from small ports so far. These are very positive and progress goes beyond what was expected at this stage. Few significant difficulties have been reported, including on cost where there appears to be a strong preference for involving port staff to the greatest possible extent. A couple of authorities have reported very inexpensive packages developed by their consultants and the Department will put other authorities in touch with these if they ask. A note of caution has been sounded where ports need to engage the involvement of external marine service providers. It is important that these providers recognise the authority's potential exposure should implementation be delayed.

Occupational standards

Previous bulletins have reported a series of initiatives are in progress. The national occupational standard for pilots was accredited in July. DETR is supporting the printing, which BPIT is now arranging. Further work is needed on statements of generic and local knowledge to be published as a separate booklet. The group working on the harbour master standard is due to meet next in early September prior to releasing their draft for general comment. A questionnaire is being prepared for DETR by BPIT to CHAs seeking information on pilotage authorisation and exemption criteria in preparation for discussion of national standards. Further details and copies of available drafts are obtainable from BPIT (e-mail info@bpit.co.uk).

Guide to Good Practice

The first draft of this document has now been circulated. Copies may be downloaded freely from the Department's web site

Chapters are missing from this text on consultation, accountability, and environmental management. The last awaits a draftsman. DETR has prepared drafts for the first two. These are being circulated to those who have the present draft, and they will be added to the web site.

Comments are requested on these further draft chapters by 30 September 2000.

Possible legislation

The Department is considering responses to a consultation paper on the proposals for port marine safety related legislation included in the Review of the Pilotage Act 1987. A further note will issue once a firm conclusion has been reached about these.

The Department has just issued another consultation paper on port-related legislation, dealing with various corporate governance proposals in the reviews of pilotage and trust ports

• accountability generally
• publication of accounts
• relaxing the requirement that harbour revision orders can only be made to further the efficient management and maintenance of the harbour, or to allow another test in specified cases
• to allow a harbour authorities wider freedom to undertake commercial and environmental activities
• to widen the discretion on holding inquiries on harbour orders to create an order-making power to close harbours

Copies are available from the usual contacts in Ports Division.

Comments are requested on this paper by 30 September 2000.

Representative bodies

Invitations to the next meeting of national representative bodies with whom the Department is working on this project will be issued once the date (in October) has been settled.

Seminars

The Code project will be presented in different ways to a north east trust ports seminar in Newcastle on 28 September; to the Nautical Institute London Branch on 11 October (space limited), to the UKHMA seminar in London on 1 November (usually sells out), and to NUMAST's Ship Masters' Forum in Wallasey on 12 December.

Ports Division
Department for Transport,
Zone 2/29,
Great Minster House
76 Marsham Street
London SW1P 4DR

Tel: 020 7944 5069
Fax: 020 7944 2188
e-mail: andrew.burr@dft.gsi.gov.uk