GosMorRechNadzor summarizes half-year results
The meeting “Results of GosMorRechNadzor supervisory activities in the first half of the year and efficiency improvement in the second half of 2009” chaired by RosTransNadzor deputy head Vladimir Popov was held in the Federal Service for Transport Supervision (RosTransNadzor) on July 17, 2009. The meeting was attended by the heads of GosMorRechNadzor territorial administrations, representatives of the RF Transport Ministry, RF General Prosecutor’s Office, Russia’s Federal Agency of Marine and River Transport (RorMorRechFlot), classification societies, Central Marine Research & Design Institute (CNIIMF), non-governmental organizations (Association of Shipping Companies and Union of Russian Shipowners), Federal Service for Supervision of Natural Resource Usage (RosPrirodNadzor), State Inspectorate for Small Vessels of Russia’s Emergencies Ministry.
Goal-directed activities of supervisory authorities resulted in a considerable decrease of sea and river transport accidents in the first half of 2009 as compared with the same period of the previous year (4 cases in H1 09 against 22 cases in H1 08. The meeting participants noted that a number of accidents were caused by foreign vessels entering Russian territorial waters.
The number of accidents at inland water transport fell over 2.5 times to 11 cases in 2009 against 29 in 2008.
Meanwhile inspections continue to reveal weak points having their negative impact on navigation safety. GosMorRechNadzor inspectors note degradation of requirements of ship owners, crews, classification societies, Harbor Masters and territorial administrations of GosMorRechNadzor when it comes to arrangement of vessels departure from seaports of the Russian Federation for foreign countries. In the reported period, 45 Russian vessels were detained in foreign ports (during the entire 2008 - 65 Russian vessels were detained in foreign ports).
A number of measures were proposed to be undertaken to improve safe operation of sea and river transport and reduction of transport accidents.
Peotr Ermolov, head of the State Sea and River Supervision Department, was ordered to go into the issue related to safe operation of non-self-propelled vessels jointly with the Russian River Registry and the Association of Shipping Companies. The following proposals are to be submitted to the Transport Ministry: limited operation of such vessels without cargo in side and bottom tanks; availability of specialized equipment for prompt oil spill response activities; availability of documents certifying execution of functions and arrangement of internal audit as training in view of the forthcoming IMO Audit.
Following the accident with m/v Shlyuzovoi-103 and the Belskaya barge resulting in spill of some 2 tonnes of heavy fuel oil, which demonstrated inefficiency of the existing system for development and approval of Oil Spill Response Plans, the meeting ordered the State Sea and River Supervision Department to address the RF Ministry of Transport with the following proposals:
- to consider simplification of OSR Plans development and approval for shipping companies engaged exclusively in cargo transportation;
- to consider amendment of RF Transport Ministry’s order No 138 dated 01.11.2002 on nucleus crew for non-self-propelled vessels so that vessels with crews ensuring safe navigation through proper watch keeping at river vessels and non-involving of a steering man to engine operation during watch keeping period could obtain a safe manning certificate.
Based on GosMorRechNadzor materials