Marine Operations Code for Ports: Bulletin No.5 (April 1999)

Bulletin No.5 - April 1999

This is the fifth of a series of monthly bulletins issued by the Department to report progress with development of a Marine Operations Code for Ports, following recommendations in the Department's review of the Pilotage ¹ . Copies of bulletins will be made available on request.

Background

The review of the Pilotage Act 1987 followed a Marine Accident Investigation Branch report on the SEA EMPRESS. The report's main proposal was that a "Marine Operations Code for Ports" should be developed, covering all port safety functions, and not just pilotage. The first bulletin, issued in December 1998, reported progress to date.

Enquiries and submissions on the Code should be made to Andrew Burr at the above address. They may also be made there to Colin Morris, Cameron Clark and Jackie Shaw [colin.morris@dft.gsi.gov.uk (e-mail addresses are the same substituting the appropriate name)].

DRAFTING THE CODE

An outline of the Code circulated at the end of 1998 attracted little substantive comment, and no material omissions were identified.

Work has therefore progressed on a further draft, copies of which are available on request. The main changes from the first outline are as follows:

• a clearer separation is made between the duties and powers of harbour authorities: the former are not necessarily statutory; the latter are all so - and provide the means of discharging the duties - the aim of the Code is to set a standard against which fulfilment of the duties can be measured.
• new material has been inserted on the responsibilities of harbour authorities, which the draft distinguishes from those of an authority's officers: a fundamental aim of the Code is to make authorities corporately accountable for the discharge of their duties and powers and to secure recognition by board members of the responsibilities which this entails;
• more detailed material is included on safety assessment and management, following discussion with experienced representatives from the industry - this may need further development, especially on the importance of human factors.

Comments are welcome on this further outline: these should be submitted by the end of April if possible.

In the meantime, further work will be carried forward on the text. It will be necessary to review the overall structure when it is more complete.

Passage Planning

A meeting with selected experienced personnel has been arranged for 21 April to discuss the treatment of passage planning in the Code.

Training

British Ports Industry Training has secured funding to develop competence standards as required to support the Code. A steering group will be assembled shortly to support this work, with the aim of a first meeting in early June, following some preparatory work.

Best Practice Guide

Representations have suggested that an early start should be made on developing the proposed Best Practice Guide in support of the Code: this has been delayed by other priorities. It is proposed to convene a 'brainstorming' session on the scope of this Guide as soon as practicable, drawing expertise from the representative bodies from the industry and elsewhere.

Review of Competent Harbour Authorities

As proposed in the Review of the Pilotage Act, the Department has started a review of authorities which have pilotage powers which are apparently not appropriate or not needed. The review will also look at whether there are harbour facilities to which the Code ought to apply but which lie outside harbour authority jurisdiction. Enquiries on this should be addressed to Cameron Clark (see above).

1: Review of Pilotage Act 1987 (published by The Stationery Office July 1998) ISBN 0 11 753471 4