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Some flag states are failing to submit the required reports on maritime casualties, said shipowners and maritime unions in a joint submission to the International Maritime Organization (IMO).
The International Chamber of Shipping (ICS) and the ITF hope that governments will consider this important issue at the next meeting of the IMO Maritime Safety Committee in June.
They point out that the Safety of Life at Sea Convention (SOLAS) requires maritime administrations to conduct investigations into any serious casualty on ships under their flag – involving the total loss of the ship, a death or severe damage to the environment – and inform the IMO of the findings.
ITF acting general secretary, Stephen Cotton said: “The lack of investigation and accident reports hinders the development of appropriate measures by IMO to address the cause of serious incidents in which seafarers may have lost their lives.”
ICS secretary general, Peter Hinchliffe added that: “It also frustrates efforts by ship operators to learn from the reports and to amend or develop new procedures, or implement other measures to prevent or mitigate similar future incidents.”
The ICS and ITF have suggested that the IMO considers what constitutes “a very serious marine casualty”, and the latitude that flag states currently enjoy when determining whether they submit the results of any investigation to the IMO. They have also suggested that lessons might be learned from the aviation industry's approach to the submission and dissemination of air accident reports.