No. H099/04 For release November 3, 2004 VANCOUVER - Canada, together with over 40 other countries and international organizations from Europe and the Pacific Rim, today signed a declaration on port state control. The declaration underlines joint commitments to eliminate substandard ships and minimize the threat they pose to life, property and the marine environment. "Port state control inspection programs are vital to helping ensure that ships are safe, crews are working in acceptable conditions, and our waters are protected from ship source pollution," said Transport Minister Jean-C. Lapierre. "This declaration has been signed to outline our commitment to further harmonizing and enhancing port state control initiatives worldwide." Port state control is an inspection program under which countries work together to verify that foreign vessels entering their waters are in compliance with strict international safety and anti-pollution standards. Ships that are found to be in serious violation of standards are detained in port until their deficiencies have been rectified. The objective of port state control is to detect and inspect substandard ships and help eliminate the threat that they pose to life, property and the marine environment. The declaration was signed at the conclusion of the Second Joint Ministerial Conference on Port State Control. The conference was organized by Transport Canada to bring together ministers and delegates representing two international agreements, the Paris and Tokyo Memoranda of Understanding on Port State Control. Today's declaration identifies two main objectives for the coming years. First, port states need to apply increasing pressure on operators of substandard ships. Secondly, new, proactive port state control policies must be undertaken. To support these objectives, the ministers have committed to a number of actions, including the enhancement of inspection and targeting programs; the development of incentive programs for companies with good safety records; greater transparency to publicly name substandard shipowners and charterers; the ongoing implementation of marine security initiatives; and enhanced regional training programs for port state control officers. The success of these commitments will depend largely on cooperation between government and industry worldwide. The theme of the conference, "Strengthening the Circle of Responsibility", emphasizes the need for all parties involved in shipping operations to effectively carry out their responsibilities; strengthen their joint commitment to marine safety, security, and the environment; and hold each other accountable for complying with applicable international standards. In 2003, Transport Canada conducted the highest number of inspections (1,277) in five years, while the number of vessel deficiencies reached its lowest level (495) in five years. This overall improvement in the quality of vessels calling in to Canadian ports suggests that port state control is deterring substandard shipping. Transport Canada's Port State Control Annual Report is posted at http://www.tc.gc.ca/MarineSafety/tp/tp13595/2003/menu.htm. Transport Canada will continue to work with its international partners to reduce substandard shipping and make the waters of the world - particularly those around Canada - safer for life, property and the marine environment. Backgrounders with more information on port state control, the Second Joint Ministerial Conference and Declaration on Port State Control, and the first conference and declaration are attached. - 30 - Contacts: Irène Marcheterre Director of Communications Office of the Minister, Ottawa (613) 991-0700 Rod Nelson Director of Communications Transport Canada, Vancouver (604) 666-1675 Transport Canada is online at www.tc.gc.ca. Subscribe to news releases and speeches at apps.tc.gc.ca/listserv/ and keep up-to-date on the latest from Transport Canada. This news release may be made available in alternative formats for persons with visual disabilities. BACKGROUNDER PORT STATE CONTROL Port state control is an inspection program under which countries work together to verify that foreign vessels entering their waters are in compliance with strict international safety and anti-pollution standards. Ships that are found to be in serious violation of standards are detained in port until their deficiencies have been rectified. The objective of port state control is to detect and inspect substandard ships and help eliminate the threat that they pose to life, property and the marine environment. The key elements of port state control are: ensuring compliance with international rules regarding safety, marine pollution and the working environment; detaining substandard vessels when their condition so warrants and until deficiencies are rectified; implementing a mutually agreed upon, annual minimum number of vessels inspected; applying a targeting system when determining the selection of vessels for inspection; harmonizing and strengthening - to the greatest extent possible - port state control procedures; and providing technical assistance and training where the need is identified. Effective port state control is an integral part of Transport Canada's Marine Safety Program, which is responsible for all port state control activities within Canada. Transport Canada's marine safety inspectors play an important role by enforcing applicable requirements and detaining those vessels found to have a major deficiency until it has been rectified. Under Canada's Port State Control Program, Transport Canada inspects at least 25 per cent of individual ships calling at Canadian ports. Canada's program, combined with the port state control programs of its international partners, targets ships for inspection every six months. In 2003, Transport Canada inspected 1,277 foreign vessels at Canadian ports, of which 495 were found to have deficiencies. Of this number, 59 vessels had deficiencies serious enough to warrant a detention. During 2003, Transport Canada conducted the highest number of inspections in five years, while the number of vessel deficiencies reached its lowest level in five years. This indicates an overall improvement in the quality of vessels calling in to Canadian ports, and suggests that port state control is deterring substandard shipping (see table below). Year 2003 2002 2001 2000 1999 Inspections 1,277 1,159 1,197 1,070 1,076 Deficiencies 495 525 634 583 563 Detentions 59 49 92 103 125 Regional Memoranda of Understanding Canada is a signatory member of two Memoranda of Understanding on Port State Control: the Paris Memorandum, which consists of 20 European countries and Canada, and the Tokyo Memorandum, which comprises 18 Asia Pacific countries and Canada. Beginning as a cooperating or associate member of the Paris Memoranda in 1988, Canada became a full member in May 1994. Canada was a driving force in the creation of the Tokyo Memoranda and has been a member since its inception in December 1993. Canada and Russia are the only countries that are members of both the Paris and Tokyo Memoranda. Canada is geographically situated between the two regional systems and has been playing a leadership role in harmonizing their programs. In addition, Canada has enhanced its port state control collaborations with the United States and Mexico through the signing of a declaration on July 8, 2001. Port state control inspectors in the Paris and Tokyo Memoranda verify the compliance of vessels with the following seven major international conventions. The first six, developed within the International Maritime Organization, address safety and pollution issues. The seventh, developed within the International Labour Organization, deals with the health and occupational safety of seafarers. These conventions are under continuous review to ensure they reflect the most contemporary technological and philosophical developments within the marine industry. They are: International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS), 1974 International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships (MARPOL), 1973 International Convention on Standards of Training, Certification and Watchkeeping for Seafarers (STCW), 1978 International Convention on Load Lines, 1966 Convention on the International Regulations for Preventing Collisions at Sea (COLREG), 1972 International Tonnage Convention (1969) International Labour Organization Convention No. 147 Merchant Shipping (Minimum Standards), 1976 (ILO 147) In addition to the Paris and Tokyo Memoranda, the following regions have now established similar port state control regimes: the Caribbean Memorandum of Understanding, which includes 12 Caribbean states; the Indian Ocean Memorandum of Understanding, which includes six member states; the Black Sea Memorandum of Understanding, which includes six member states; the Vina Del Mar Agreement, which includes 11 South American states; the Mediterranean Memorandum of Understanding, which includes eight member states; the West & Central Africa Memorandum of Understanding, which includes 19 member states; and the United States Coast Guard. For additional information on Transport Canada's Port State Control Program, including initiatives and statistics, please refer to the 2003 Port State Control Annual Report at http://www.tc.gc.ca/MarineSafety/tp/tp13595/2003/menu.htm. November 2004 BACKGROUNDER SECOND JOINT MINISTERIAL CONFERENCE AND DECLARATION ON PORT STATE CONTROL On November 2 and 3, 2004, Canada hosted the Second Joint Ministerial Conference on Port State Control. This important conference was organized by Transport Canada to bring together ministers and delegates representing the Paris and Tokyo Memoranda of Understanding on Port State Control - two international agreements of which Canada is a signatory member. The objective of the conference was to discuss issues related to marine safety, protection of the environment, and how to further harmonize port state control procedures. The theme of the conference, "Strengthening the Circle of Responsibility", emphasized that port state control is everyone's responsibility as all parties involved in shipping must effectively carry out their responsibilities, strengthen their joint commitment to marine safety, security and the environment, and hold each other accountable for their actions. The parties forming the circle of responsibility include shipowners, operators, flag states, classification societies, seafarers, industry organizations, charterers, coastal states and port states, financial institutions, insurance companies, shipbuilders, marine equipment manufacturers, port authorities, and pilots. At the conclusion of the conference, the ministers signed a declaration outlining their commitment to further harmonizing and enhancing port state control initiatives. The declaration notes two key steps that need to be taken in the coming years. First, port states need to apply increasing pressure on operators of substandard ships and secondly, new, proactive port state control policies must be undertaken. In order to meet these objectives, the delegates are committing to: developing and implementing inspection regimes based on a new International Labour Organization Convention; ensuring that single-hulled oil tankers are phased out of operation in accordance with international agreements; conducting further concentrated inspection campaigns, i.e., campaigns under which normal inspections are supplemented by a focused inspection on a specific international requirement; carrying out in-depth analyses of ship deficiencies; intensifying the targeting of high-risk ships; using the carrot and stick approach of targeting inspections based on a ship's high-risk profile, and developing an incentive system for companies whose ships have low-risk profiles; enhancing the transparency of port state control by regularly publishing detailed information on detained ships, including the names of owners and charterers; enhancing regional training programs for port state control officers; increasing harmonization between the two Memoranda of Understanding to ensure resources are used as efficiently and effectively as possible; and investigating the feasibility of cost recovery for the inspection of substandard ships that consistently have poor safety records. In addition, the ministers recognize that global acts of terrorism, as well as incidents of piracy and armed robbery, are of grave concern. Therefore, security measures that have already been agreed upon must be effectively implemented to protect human lives, the shipping industry, international trade and the global economy. These commitments build on actions taken since 1998 when the First Joint Ministerial Conference on Port State Control was held in Vancouver. Since the first conference, Canada has played an active role in harmonizing the provisions of the Paris and Tokyo Memoranda, and in enhancing port state control programs. For example, Canada took an important step in signing a joint declaration on port state control with the United States and Mexico. In addition, Transport Canada lent its expertise to the Caribbean Memorandum of Understanding and is working with Caribbean authorities to develop Canadian-based port state control rules and procedures. It is Canada's position that these regional Memoranda of Understanding may eventually evolve into global common standards that will benefit all marine transportation partners. In addition, Transport Canada has enhanced its national training program to allow for its inspectors to provide in-depth knowledge to new recruits and foreign inspectors coming to Canada for on-the-job training. The department has also provided specialized training courses around the world. Furthermore, Transport Canada participated in several concentrated inspection campaigns focusing on specific international requirements such as safety management systems; the training and certification of seafarers; guidelines in areas such as seafarers' hours of work and rest; bulk carriers and oil tankers; and the operational control of passenger ships. November 2004 BACKGROUNDER FIRST JOINT MINISTERIAL CONFERENCE AND DECLARATION ON PORT STATE CONTROL In 1998, Transport Canada hosted the First Joint Ministerial Conference on Port State Control. The purpose of this conference was to bring together ministers and delegates representing the Paris and Tokyo Memoranda of Understanding on Port State Control, two international agreements of which Canada is a signatory member. The theme of the conference was "Tightening the Net - Inter-Regional Action to Eliminate Substandard Shipping". Upon the closing of this conference, the ministers also signed a declaration with commitments to several ongoing actions, including: targeting ships for inspection; enhancing the exchange of inspection data through the use of ever-improving state-of-the-art technology (an important factor in harmonizing the Paris and Tokyo regions); harmonizing the training of port state control officers; ensuring compliance with the International Safety Management Code, which established an international standard for the safe management and operation of ships and for the implementation of safety management systems covering both vessel and shoreside operations; and promoting a wider safety culture throughout the entire maritime community by fostering a meaningful dialogue between stakeholders (associations of shipowners and ship operators, marine underwriters, shippers, charterers, classification societies, and trade unions). The Paris and Tokyo Memoranda members have since taken signification actions, including: enhancing systems to target ships for inspection; improving inspection databases, and establishing a link between the Paris and Tokyo databases for access by port state control officers in both regions; developing various inspection procedures and guidelines for port state control officers; recruiting qualified port state control officers, followed by ongoing seminars, expert and specialized training, and exchange programs; participating in concentrated inspection campaigns to verify and enforce compliance with the International Safety Management Code; and promoting a safety culture through discussions with the International Association of Classification Societies, the International Chamber of Shipping, the International Transport Workers' Federation, the Inter-cargo Oil Companies International Marine Forum, the Chemical Distribution Institute, and other shipping stakeholders. While port state control activities are becoming increasingly effective, the fact remains that, until there are no longer substandard ships on the seas, port state control authorities must work together cooperatively and be vigilant in carrying out their responsibilities. Transport Canada is confident that the enhancements resulting from these Joint Ministerial Conferences and declarations will lead to greater results in protecting life, property, and the marine environment. November 2004
