The maritime authorities of the Memorandum of Understanding on Port State Control for West and Central African region (Abuja MoU) will launch a Concentrated Inspection Campaign (CIC) on ‘safety of navigation’ on September 1, 2017.
This was contained in a press release issued by the Abuja MoU.
According to the press release, the aim of the CIC is to check compliance with the applicable requirements of the Safety Of Life As Sea (SOLAS) convention, the overall status of the vessel’s navigation safety, and the competency of crew involved in navigation operations.
The inspection campaign will be held for three months, commencing from 1 September 2017 and ending 30 November 2017. A ship will only be subject to one inspection in the region under this CIC during the period of the campaign.
Navigation equipment has always been major inspection items for Port State Control inspections. The regulations for navigation equipment have undergone frequent changes in compliance with a series of amendments to SOLAS Chapter V (safety of navigation).
Electronic Chart Display and Information System (ECDIS) have assisted watchkeepers to maintain navigation safety and reduce the navigational workload since its application. Deficiencies relating to navigation equipment constitute a major proportion of the total deficiencies.
Port State Control Officers (PSCOs) will use a list of 12 questions to assure that navigation equipment carried onboard complies with the relevant statutory certificates, the master and navigation officers are qualified and familiar with operation of bridge equipment, especially ECDIS, and that navigation equipment is properly maintained and functioning.
If deficiencies are found, actions by the port State may vary from recording a deficiency and instructing the master to rectify it within a certain period of time to detaining the ship until the serious deficiencies have been rectified. In the case of detention, the data will be published in the non-performing ships section of Abuja MoU website.
The results of the campaign will be analyzed and findings will be presented to the Abuja MoU Port State Control Committee for submission to the IMO.
