Marine Operations Code for Ports: Bulletin No.25 (December 2000)

Bulletin No.25 - December 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.

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

Implementing the Code

The Department circulated to all CHAs at the end of June an enquiry about progress with implementing the Code.

The industry reports that it is ahead of expected progress. Virtually every authority responding has already embarked on risk assessment and is confident at this stage of completing implementation by the end of 2001.

Occupational standards

The national occupational standard for pilots was accredited in July. It has now been printed and is available from BPIT. 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 has not met recently but is progressing by correspondence prior to releasing their draft for general comment.

Further details on this part of the project, and copies of available drafts, are obtainable from BPIT (e-mail: info@bpit.co.uk).

The next step on pilotage standards (for authorisation and exemption) is to develop assessment criteria - both for authorisations and exemptions. A meeting of some interested bodies was held at the end of November to review how this can be progressed. The Department will be writing shortly to a selection of harbour authorities asking for more detailed information about how they determine the criteria by which pilots and applicants for exemption should be assessed, in order to refine a statement of present practice. These authorities will be asked about planned use of the accredited occupational standard.

On 17 November 2000 the Maritime and Coastguard Agency accredited South Tyneside College, Faculty of Nautical Science for their course for the training of Vessel Traffic Services (VTS) operators. This is the first training institute world-wide to be accredited to IALA recommendation V-103 standards by a national competent authority.

Details are available from MCA (web site address www.mcga.gov.uk).

Discussion will be resumed shortly on how to develop from this work a national occupational standard to place alongside those for pilots and other port marine professionals.

Guide to Good Practice

The first draft of this document was circulated with a deadline for initial comments of 31 August. Copies may be down-loaded freely from the Department's web site (details above).

The Department is preparing a second draft which was to have been ready by the end of November. It is regretted that it is not yet available, but is now being given priority. Copies will be sent to all those commenting on the first draft; and to all harbour authorities responding to the June monitoring exercise. It will be placed on the DETR web site.

The British Ports Association is also collecting from its members examples on good practice, especially on risk assessment. They would be happy to provide more information about what is available on request by any harbour authority implementing the Code.

Possible legislation

A further announcement will be made on possible ports-related legislation once the programme for the coming Session has been announced in the Queen's Speech.

Representative bodies

The last meeting of national representative bodies with whom the Department is working on this project was held on 18 October and the next one will be in the New Year.

Seminars

The Code project will be covered in a further trust ports seminar in London on 5 December; and at NUMAST's Ship Masters' Forum in Wallasey on 12 December.

Ports Policy Paper

The Department's Ports Policy Paper, Modern Ports, was published on 27 November. Copies are available from DETR's Publication Sales Centre (not the above address) (tel. 01709 891318) @ £12 each. Copies of the text only are available freely on the DfT web site from the bottom of this page.

The Stationery Office also published on the same day a background statistical document, Focus on Ports, which is available from them (in the usual way or by telephone - 08760 600 5522 or fax - 08760 600 5533) - but also not from the above address @ £32. Their web site address is:-www.thestationeryoffice.com .

A series of regional seminars are provisionally planned to present the paper in the first quarter of 2001.

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

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