IMO Meeting seeks to crack down on “darkish fleet”

The IMO Meeting wrapped up its thirtieth session on December 6. The Meeting is the Worldwide Maritime Group’s highest governing physique and amongst its actions on this newest session had been to elect a Council that, for the primary time since 1960, didn’t embody Russia as a member. In one other transfer that Russia was unlikely to be pleased with because it tries to bypass sanctions on its oil exports, the Meeting additionally handed a decision urging IMO member states and all related stakeholders to advertise actions to stop unlawful operations within the maritime sector by the “darkish fleet” or “shadow fleet” within the maritime sector.

The darkish fleet might be characterised as rustbuckets operated by sleazebags, taking measures resembling turning off AIS transponders that make its vessels a security hazard.

The decision calls upon flag states to take these measures towards darkish fleet operations:

• be certain that ships on their registers adhere to measures which prohibit or regulate ship-to-ship (STS) transfers of oil, and that such ships adjust to air pollution prevention necessities; and
• contemplate requiring ships on their register to replace their STS plans to incorporate notifying them when and the place they’re engaged in such operations

The decision calls upon port states to:

• guarantee enforcement of the protection and legal responsibility conventions;
• notify flag states once they turn out to be conscious of ships deliberately taking measures to keep away from detection, resembling turning off their AIS or LRIT transmissions; and
• monitor STS operations inside their territorial seas and EEZ and take applicable motion when ships usually are not complying with maritime security or maritime air pollution prevention laws

The Meeting additionally mentioned a variety of different much less headline-grabbing matters that may have necessary impacts on transport operations, together with:

• Procedures for port state management
• Survey Pointers underneath the Harmonized System of Survey and Certification (HSSC)
• Obligations underneath devices related to the IMO Devices Implementation Code
• Pointers on implementation of the Worldwide Security Administration (ISM) Code by Administrations

Lloyd’s Register has ready a abstract report that supplies extra particulars