Miscellaneous

INF Code

The MSC agreed to make mandatory the Irradiated Nuclear Fuel (INF) Code as set out in Resolution A.748(18) and will consider appropriate amendments to chapter VII of SOLAS in May 1998 during MSC69.

The INF Code includes requirements for emergency plans for ships carrying INF cargo flasks. Such plans document the responsibilities and action required by the ship and by the coastal State in responding to an emergency. Recognizing that work is ongoing under the amendments to the 1990 Oil Pollution Preparedness, Response and Cooperation (OPRC) Convention to further develop the role and required infrastructure of the coastal State, the draft emergency response plans and requirements for shore-based emergency response for INF related incidents was held in abeyance pending completion of the OPRC work.

Evaluation Process Under STCW

It was agreed that information submitted to the Secretary General by Parties to STCW, pursuant to demonstrating the steps taken to give full and complete effect of the Conventions requirements, would, after the convening of at least one meeting of the panel of competent persons, be reviewed by the MSC. If necessary, the MSC can conveyed the report to a working group to determine if all of the steps have been properly taken and if technical assistance is needed. To assist Administrations in communicating the necessary information to demonstrate complete compliance under STCW Regulation I/7, a matrix of the required documentation cross-referenced to the Regulation has been developed as an MSC Circular.

FSA Interim Guidelines

Interim guidelines for the application of formal safety assessment (FSA) to the IMO rule-making process were approved at this session of MSC. During the next 12 months, it is intended that the interim guidelines will be applied by Administrations and non-governmental organizations with the view that further refinements and enhancement will be made. Proactively applied, FSA can provide a clear and transparent justification for proposed regulatory measures based on comparisons of different options available.

Two trial applications of FSA were submitted to MSC68; the first on high-speed catamaran and the second on emergency propulsion systems. The former application was considered by some Members to be too complex to demonstrate the merits of FSA to the rule making process and lacked the transparency and documentation of expert judgments made during the analysis. These aspects will be considered further at MSC69 (11-20 May 1998).

The latter application, to emergency propulsion, was considered to be an excellent example of how FSA could be used in IMO’s rule making process. The interim summary presented used a ten year database of tanker accidents due to pure machinery failures -- rather than hull/machinery failures -- which are more appropriately remedied by emergency propulsion. Uncertainties associated with measuring risk were accommodated by estimating the cumulative loss for each hazard based on the number of occurrences and magnitude of the consequences. Depending on the hazard being considered (loss of life, foundering, loss of business, collision) and the area of operation (open sea vs in port) the weighted risk will vary. The study identified emergency propulsion devices (azimuth thrusters or water jets) as a viable option with the degree of sophistication subject to a cost-benefit assessment.

The MSC agreed to further evaluate FSA and in particular to consider mechanisms and processes by which human element issues can be analyzed and incorporated into FSA.