Training and instruction emphasised on the effective implementation of the International Convention for the Control and Management of Ships’ Ballast Water and Sediments (BWM Convention).

Although ballast water enhances the safety and efficiency of shipping operations, when not properly managed, this widespread maritime practice leads to risks of displacing marine species all over the world. This practice poses serious ecological, economic and health problems.

The BWM Convention, ratified by 28 countries and widely expected to enter into force during the next two years, offers a set of international measures for minimizing the translocation of marine species through ballast water.

“Preventing the transfer of marine species is a global responsibility, requiring a coordinated effort from Governments’ Administrations the world over,” said SafeMed Project Co-ordinator Jonathan Pace. “This training course sought to deliver Project Beneficiaries with a common set of knowledge and skills for a more uniform implementation of the BWM Convention across the Mediterranean region.”

Training was aimed at officials from maritime administrations responsible for the implementation of the BWM Convention within their respective Administrations. In line with this, the best practices for monitoring and enforcement of the BWM Convention requirements were identified and discussed in an open and engaging debate.

Officials from 12 SafeMed Beneficiaries namely, Albania, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Croatia, Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, Libya, Montenegro, Morocco, the Palestinian Authority, Tunisia, and Turkey attended the course.

The SafeMed II Project is a €5.5 million EU-financed regional effort to enhance Euro-Mediterranean co-operation in the field of maritime safety and security, prevention of pollution from ships and marine environmental issues. Its objective is to provide Project Beneficiaries with the technical advice and support required to ensure more uniform and effective implementation of international maritime conventions and rules, thereby reducing accidents and pollution at sea throughout the Mediterranean Region.

The main objective of the 4-day Training Course is for the trainees to acquire good knowledge and understanding of the requirements of the ISM Code, its interpretation and application; the process of certification within the scope of the ISM Code; the basic audit technique in conducting ISM and management system audits; and the mandatory rules and regulations and applicable codes, principal guidelines and standards recommended by the IMO, administrations, classification societies and maritime industry organizations.

The Training Course is aimed at junior and middle level technical and administrative officials from maritime administrations who have a good knowledge of the IMO Conventions and who are responsible for the implementation of the ISM Code, including the auditing and monitoring of the Recognised Organizations (ROs) acting on behalf of their Administrations.

Two Training Courses will be delivered simultaneously, one in the English language aimed at the English speaking participants and the other in the French language for the French-speaking participants.

The SafeMed II Project Regional Workshop on the Long-Range Identification and Tracking of Ships (LRIT) was held in Lisbon, Portugal, between the 19 and 20 March 2012.

During the Workshop, 21 participants from 12 SafeMed beneficiaries received valuable information on the LRIT system, including the LRIT architecture system and its main components. The legal obligations on the Administrations and ships were also covered.

Eight presentations were delivered by speakers from the International Maritime Organization (IMO), the European Maritime Safety Agency (EMSA), the Canadian Coast Guard, the International Mobile Satellite Organization (IMSO), the Danish Maritime Authority (DMA), and from Morocco and Turkey. Participants actively took part in practical sessions.

Presentations were also delivered by participants to update the Workshop on the way their respective Administrations have implemented the LRIT requirements.

A visit by the participants to the EMSA’s Maritime Support Services (MSS) Centre concluded the Workshop.

The Consolidation and Implementation Training Course on the BWM Convention will be held in Malta between the 8 and 9 May 2012.The Regional Marine Pollution Emergency Response Centre for the Mediterranean Sea (REMPEC) is organizing the Training Course within the framework of the EU-funded MEDA Regional Transport Project, “Euromed Cooperation on Maritime Safety and Prevention of Pollution from Ships – SAFEMED II” (MED 2007/147-568) and in close cooperation with the International Maritime Organization (IMO) and the European Maritime Safety Agency (EMSA).

The main objectives of the Training Course are to familiarize the participants with ballast water management issues and with the provisions of the BWM Convention; to familiarise the participants with the rights and obligations of Parties to the BWM Convention in particular port/coastal States’ obligations; to provide a common set of knowledge and skills to all participants to enable them to take appropriate action in their various capacities with a view towards promoting uniform implementation of the BWM Convention; and to identify best practices in the monitoring and enforcement of the BWM Convention requirements.

The Training Course is aimed at junior and middle level technical and administrative officials from maritime administrations, who have not yet benefitted from BWM training in the past, and who are, or would be, responsible for the implementation of the BWM Convention within their respective Administrations. The working languages of the Training Course will be English and French.

Albania, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Croatia and Montenegro also participate in specific SafeMed II activities through Instrument of Pre-Accession funding. 

The European Commission (DG-MOVE,) in cooperation with the Danish Presidency of the Council of the EU, is organising, in Brussels on the 28 and 29 March 2012, a Seminar on Piracy and Armed Robbery at Sea entitled, ‘Piracy, the curse of Maritime Transport’.

We are pleased to inform all Safemed II Project beneficiaries that EuroMed, through the Safemed II Project, will be financing the participation of one participant from each of the Safemed II beneficiaries to this Seminar.

The 3rd SafeMed II Project Annual Workshop on Maritime Security was held in Marseille between the 31 January and 1 February 2012.

During the Workshop, a report on Maritime Security related activities carried out within the SafeMed I & II Projects was presented and discussed. Participants shared their experiences in maritime security with their counterparts from the SafeMed Beneficiaries, as well as officials from the European Commission (EC) and the European Union (EU) Member States. Among the discussions, issues relating to Piracy were broached and debated. 

Participants also delivered presentations to update the Workshop on the progress made by their respective Administrations with respect to maritime security and the implementation of the International Ship and Port Facility Security (ISPS) Code.

Twenty-five representatives from 12 SafeMed II Project Beneficiaries attended the Workshop. They hailed from Albania, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Croatia, Egypt, Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, Montenegro, Morocco, Palestinian Authority, Tunisia, and Turkey. Representatives from France, Italy and Malta also attended the meeting as observers.

This marked the third and final such Workshop to be organised within Activity 6 of the SafeMed II Project framework: ‘Security of Ships and Port Facilities in the Mediterranean Area’. However, the participants forwarded a request that the EC considers including similar Workshops within the framework of the SafeMed III Project.

Following the Workshop, a visit to the Port of Marseille was co-ordinated by the French Authorities.

The development of a software tool to help in the fight against substandard shipping will begin in February 2012, under the auspices of the SafeMed II Project, an EU-funded regional technical assistance project being implemented by the Regional Marine Pollution Emergency Response Centre for the Mediterranean Sea (REMPEC), on behalf of the International Maritime Organization (IMO). 

 “This decision-making application will be instrumental in improving safety of navigation, preventing pollution, and empowering Port State Control Officers (PSCOs) to be more efficient when inspecting a vessel. It is being designed specifically for the Mediterranean Memorandum of Understanding (Med MoU) on Port State Control, and in particular its SafeMed II Project Beneficiaries, namely: Algeria, Egypt, Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, Morocco, Tunisia and Turkey,” explained Mr Albert Bergonzo, SafeMed Project Officer – Maritime Administration.

The contract for developing the tool was awarded to the Korean Register of Shipping (KRS), following a public tendering procedure led by the IMO Secretariat. 

An important objective of the software is to further harmonise procedures in the Med MoU and, in turn, further ensure that the relevant requirements of the international IMO and ILO maritime Conventions are applied to the ship being inspected by the PSCO. 

Two versions of the tool will be available for PSCOs: online and stand-alone. The online version will be hosted with the Information Centre of the Med MoU in Morocco together with the Med MoU Information System, MEDSIS. For the stand-alone version, a laptop will be supplied to each PSCO of the Med MoU members that are also SafeMed II Project beneficiaries. 

The SafeMed II Project is a €5.5 million EU-financed regional effort to enhance Euro-Mediterranean co-operation in the field of maritime safety and security, prevention of pollution from ships and marine environmental issues. Its objective is to provide Project Beneficiaries with the technical advice and support required to ensure more uniform and effective implementation of international maritime conventions and rules, thereby reducing accidents and pollution at sea throughout the Mediterranean Region. 

The Malta-based REMPEC assists Mediterranean coastal States to build up their national prevention, preparedness and response capabilities to prevent, be prepared for and respond to major marine pollution incidents. The Centre also facilitates cooperation between countries in combating accidental marine pollution from a range of hazardous substances including oil. REMPEC is managed under the joint auspices of United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) Mediterranean Action Plan (MAP) and the International Maritime Organization (IMO).

At the outcome of a public tender procedure, the Korean Register has been awarded the contract to develop such a tool.An ad hoc user group has been set up to monitor the development process and provide feedback in order to ensure the optimal quality of the final product. The kick-off meeting of the project will be held on Thursday February 2 in Casablanca, Morocco, where the Information Centre of the Med MoU is hosted by the Moroccan Direction de la Marine Marchande.

The Regional Marine Pollution Emergency Response Centre for the Mediterranean Sea (REMPEC) will be organizing a Workshop on the Long-Range Identification and Tracking of Ships (LRIT) at the European Maritime Safety Agency (EMSA) premises in Lisbon, Portugal, between the 19 and 20 March 2012.  The Workshop is being organized within the framework of the European Union (EU) funded MEDA Regional transport Project “Euromed Cooperation on Maritime Safety and Prevention of Pollution from Ships – SAFEMED II” (MED 2007/147-568) being implemented by REMPEC.

The main objectives of this Workshop are to familiarize the participants with the LRIT requirements, both those legally (IMO Rules & Regulations) and also technically; with the roles of the International Mobile Satellite Organization (IMSO), Long-Range Identification and Tracking International Data Exchange (LRIT–IDE) Operator, LRIT Data Centres (DC) and other Application Service Providers (ASP); provide the participants with an overview of the operational and technical activities required to operate and maintain a DC at required standard of performance, and exchange views on the experiences gained so far on the LRIT.

The working languages will be English and French.

Please click here to download the draft programme

Please click here to download the information sheet

Three SafeMed sponsored students graduated from the World Maritime University (WMU) this year: Mr Abed Al-Dabet from Jordan and Mr Hasan Tarcan from Turkey received an MSc in Maritime Safety and Environmental Administration while Mr Makrem Chouchane from Tunisia graduated MSc in Shipping & Port Management. 

This was the first graduation ceremony for students following the newly structured and streamlined 14-month Malmö-based MSc program in Maritime Affairs, which places higher demands on the intellect and stamina of the students. This year’s graduates include a record number of females (31) while also being the youngest student cohort since the Class of 2001, with an average age of 33.3 years.

Degrees were conferred by WMU’s Chancellor and IMO Secretary General Mr Efthimios E Mitropoulos, at the University’s annual Graduation Ceremony held at the Malmö City’s Concert Hall. This graduation ceremony marked the last time Mr Mitropoulos will act as WMU Chancellor, as he will retire at the end of December 2011.

Thirteen SafeMed II Project sponsored students have graduated from WMU since 2008. Sponsorships are allocated by the SafeMed II Project in order to build capacity in the Beneficiaries' Maritime Authorities. For this reason, the Project ensures that graduates remain within the public sector of their countries so they may share their knowledge and contribute fully to the enhancement of the performance of the National Authorities.

The WMU graduates of 2011 bring the total up to 3,242 graduates, all of whom are now contributing their skills and experience toward the global maritime sector. The World Maritime University is a unique model of international learning and cooperation that meets important needs in both developing and developed countries, as well as in the maritime industry.

During the seminar, held at the European Maritime Safety Agency (EMSA) in Lisbon between the 21 and 22 November 2011, the Beneficiaries also forwarded the suggestion that a Casualty Investigator's Training Course be organised as a follow up to this Seminar.

Carried out within ‘Activity 2 – Task 2.9’ of the SafeMed II Project framework, this Seminar served as an open platform for discussion among senior government administrators from 12 SafeMed II Project Beneficiaries and representatives from three European Union member States and the International Maritime Organization. The beneficiaries hailed from Albania, Algeria, Croatia¸ Egypt, Israel¸ Jordan, Lebanon¸ Montenegro, Morocco, The Palestinian Authority, Tunisia, and Turkey.

The event included presentations by the France, Malta and Spain and offered insights into their local experiences with accident investigations.

The 6th Meeting of the Maritime Safety Sub-Group of the EuroMed Transport Forum, which also acts as the SafeMed II Project’s Advisory Committee, was held in Brussels under the auspices of the co-presidency of the Union for the Mediterranean, between 24 and 25 October 2011.  The Meeting was organised by the European Commission’s Directorates General ‘Mobility and Transport’ and ‘EuropeAid Co-operation Office’.

“This Meeting was an opportunity for all stakeholders to become more up-to-date with the progress and accomplishments of the SafeMed II Project,” said SafeMed Project Manager Jonathan Pace. “It also served to highlight the important strides forward made by Project Beneficiaries in the fields of maritime safety, security and marine pollution prevention, while providing a platform for the Mediterranean Partners to share their views on Euro-Mediterranean cooperation in these fields."

As part of the 2nd Euro-Mediterranean Transport Forum - Maritime Affairs, Ports and Short-Sea Shipping Working Group, this year’s meeting of the Maritime Safety Sub-Group was organised back-to-back with the 8th Motorways of the Sea Sub-Group which deals with the Motorways of the Seas (MEDA MoS) II Project.

The attendance of the National Contact Points of both the SafeMed II Project and the MEDA MoS II Project, as well as the National Coordinators of the EuroMed Transport Project, ensured that a comprehensive yet in-depth view of both Projects was presented.