Marine Operations Code for Ports: Bulletin No.33 (October 2001)

Bulletin No.33 - October 2001

Port Marine Safety Code

The Port Marine Safety Code was published on 13 March 2000 (ISBN: 1 85112 365 2) and is £10

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Implementation

The Department will publish a fuller account of responses to its most recent survey of all competent harbour authorities on expected progress by the end of the implementation period set by the Code at 31 December 2001.

Returns so far -

No. responding: 100

No. reporting completion: 12

No. reporting that they expect to implement on time: 82

The Department has so far identified only three small competent harbour authorities which have not made the required commitment to implement. There is a slightly larger number of authorities who are behind, either because they committed late for various reasons or for force majeure (eg a serious accident to the harbour master). All but one of these is also small; and all are committed to complete as soon as practicable. The Department will give these as much support as possible.

Bulletin No.32 included a first reminder to those who have yet to respond - would those who have still to do so please find time to report in as soon as possible. The Department will wish to chase soon to have a complete return before the final stage of implementation is much further advanced.

The Department asked implementing authorities about aspects of the way in which they had implemented. Advice is being given to individual authorities - and is available on request - on recurrent questions such as the nomination of a 'designated person'.

The Department will not be prescribing a standard form for implementation reports, since the Code is sufficiently clear. It is ready to offer advice if needed. Reports submitted so far are good. The Department will not be responsible for publishing or circulating copies - enquiries should be directed to a particular authority.

National Occupational Standards

Work has resumed on the development of assessment criteria for pilotage authorisation. The Warsash Maritime Centre have completed an exercise to identify seafaring qualifications which may be taken to demonstrate particular competencies. This will be reviewed by a group of harbour authorities prior to release for general consultation by the end of October.

BPIT are actively engaged on the draft of national occupational standards for harbour masters. Work on VTS operators and PEC guidelines is pending.

Guide to Good Practice

The Department has received only limited suggested changes to the current draft of the Guide; and is hopeful for finalising a text at a meeting with representative bodies on 19 October.

The latest version of the draft has been published on the Department's website (address as above). This is for information and to replace out-dated versions: general comment is not invited on this draft.

The Department had hoped to include in the first edition a range of examples of points throughout the Guide. Examples submitted so far are predominantly from a few authorities. It is now unlikely that the first edition of the Guide will use examples in the way originally envisaged. A form of publication will need to be selected which allows examples to be included later.

Representative bodies

A (half-day) meeting of representative bodies is to be convened on 19 October (date changed). It will be review progress across the Code project but be invited to concentrate on two items -

- the outcome of the monitoring of harbour authorities at the 30th June 'waypoint'

- the final draft of the Guide to Good Practice, and in particular the sufficiency of examples.

The Department will also consult them about whether this Bulletin should continue - and if so monthly - once the date for implementation has passed: views on this would be welcome, especially on future content.

Conferences

The 10th UKHMA conference was held on 26 September - an earlier error in this Bulletin about the date is regretted but does seem to have been successfully corrected: the next seminar is scheduled for 13 March and it is hoped to include presentations from harbour masters on implementation of the Code.

 

It will be noted that the Department's title, website and e-mail addresses have changed since the General Election. The names in e-mail addresses may also be separated now by a '.', although the former style ('_') is still accepted.