Supplementary memorandum submitted by
the British Ports Association
1. PORT MARINE
SAFETY CODE
The Port Marine Safety Code was the result of
the review of the 1987 Pilotage Act undertaken in 1998 which itself
was a response to the grounding of the Sea Empress. It is the
first important piece of navigational policy work to emerge since
the 1987 Pilotage Act. The Code is therefore hugely important
to ports and is now the basis of port navigational management.
The Code sets up a clear chain of responsibility
from the board, which is identified as the "duty holder",
to the operational staff. The main link between the board and
operations is the designated person who has specific responsibility
to ensure that the board is fully informed on all matters affecting
navigational safety.
The Code requires that each port produces a
navigational plan on which port users and stakeholders are consulted.
The plans are not approved by the DfT although they are lodged
with them; if an incident should occur the plans are scrutinised
by the DfT and the MCA in co-operation with the port. To implement
the Code each port has had to undergo risk assessment. In the
great majority of cases, ports have found this process helpful
not only in identifying risks but also in identifying where management
procedures needed to be revised. A further benefit is that the
Code produces a national approach, tailored to individual needs,
but which makes systems more easily comparable. National Occupational
Standards have been developed for pilots, Vessel Traffic Service
operators and Harbour Masters which again introduce national concepts
of the roles and duties of these important functions. Pilots'
occupational standards in particular have helped both in training
and assessing pilot performance.
The combination of this Code and the creation
of the role of SOSREP (Secretary of State's Representative) who
is able to take charge of the salvage of a stricken ship, has
created great change and is being carefully watched by other EU
member states who have already shown interest in developing a
similar approach. It is equally significant that the Code was
introduced some time after the original proposals for MEHRAS were
produced. This puts MEHRAs into an entirely different context;
we believe the Code substantially weakens the need for MEHRAs.
2. ENVIRONMENTAL
POLICY AND
RESEARCH
Since the mid-1990s, the port sector, largely
on an EU basis, has been much more proactive in pursuing environmental
objectives and in establishing industry targets. A first European
Environmental Code of Practice was produced by the European Sea
Ports Organisation (ESPO) in 1994 which set out some basic principles
of environmental management. The overriding message was that environmental
protection should be built into all aspects of port management
and operations.
Following this, a research project was set up
in 1997 (Eco-Information) which, for the first time, started to
develop IT systems for ports whereby ports could analyse their
environmental performance. The "Self Diagnosis Methodology"
(SDM) programme is a series of linked questions covering all aspects
of environmental management, identifying strengths and weaknesses.
Ports are encouraged to use this system on an annual basis to
check their progress. Results are pooled anonymously by the project's
Secretariat and information of the progress of ports on an EU
basis can be gathered. Since then, and under a second project,
"EcoPorts", further programmes have been developed which
lead to an environmental certificate audited by Lloyd's Register.
So far, the UK has led the way and the Ports of Dover, Harwich
Haven, Tyne and Aberdeen have been the first in the EU to receive
certificates. There are a number of other UK ports now involved
in working towards certification.
In addition to this practical work, ESPO has
also set a number of targets for EU ports recommending that each
port carries out environmental monitoring, selects relevant environmental
indicators and reports regularly on the ports environmental condition.
Compliance with these objectives is a key part of the certification
process. These systems and targets are also useful in dealing
with Habitats Directive sites and in dealing with issues of general
coastal management. Details of all these initiatives are on the
ESPO website (www.espo.be) and the Ecoports website (www.ecoports.com).
17 December 2003
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