FVS ISCG
Website for the Intersessional Correspondence Group on the Safety of Small Fishing Vessels (FVS ISCG)
At its seventy-ninth session, the Maritime Safety Committee approved the FAO/ILO/IMO Code of Safety for Fishermen and Fishing Vessels, 2005 and the Voluntary Guidelines for the Design, Construction and Equipment of Small Fishing Vessels, 2005. At the same meeting and in order to address the safety of small fishing vessels that are not covered by these instruments, the Committee agreed to include in the work programme of the Sub-Committee on Stability and Load Lines and on Fishing Vessel Safety (SLF) and the provisional agenda for SLF 48, a new item on Safety of small fishing vessels, with the objective of developing safety standards for small fishing vessels.
SLF 48At SLF 48, held from 12 to 16 September 2005, the Sub-Committee established a drafting group and a correspondence group to progress the matter intersessionally. The drafting group was to give initial consideration to the contents of safety standards for small fishing vessels on the basis of documents SLF 48/16 (FAO) and SLF 48/INF.3 (Ireland) and to prepare draft terms of reference for a correspondence group on the development of Safety standards for small fishing vessels. The sub-committee agreed to the establishment of a correspondence group under the co-ordination of South-Africa. In co-operation with FAO [and ILO], IMO is to examine existing regional and national safety standards for small fishing vessels and develop a consolidated draft text of the Safety standards for small fishing vessels covering decked fishing vessels of less than 12 m in length and undecked fishing vessels of any length. The correspondence group is to submit a report to SLF 49.
SLF 49
At SLF 49, held from 24 to 28 July 2006, the Sub-Committee established a Working Group on Safety of Small Fishing Vessels and instructed it, taking into account comments made and decisions taken in plenary, to working through the week, progress further the draft Safety standards for small fishing vessels, set out in documents SLF 49/6/1, SLF 49/6/2 and SLF 49/6/3, taking into account the report of the correspondence group (SLF 49/6); and consider whether it is necessary to establish the correspondence group and, if so, prepare draft terms of reference for consideration by plenary.
The group considered the draft Safety standards for small fishing vessels contained in documents SLF 49/6/1, SLF 49/6/2 and SLF 49/6/3 prepared by the correspondence group and amended chapters of the draft Safety standards (including the available Annexes) as needed. These amendments to the draft Safety standards will be included in part 2 of the working group's report. The Sub-Committee also agreed that the outstanding annexes and any minor modifications to the draft Safety standards should be submitted to the correspondence group at the latest by 3 November 2006. The group agreed to the title "Safety recommendations for decked fishing vessels of less than 12 metres in length and undecked fishing vessels".
As recommended by the group, the Sub-Committee agreed to establish the Correspondence Group on Safety of Small Fishing Vessels, under the co-ordination of South Africa, with the following terms of reference: 1 to finalize the draft Safety recommendations, taking into account part 2 of the working group's report from SLF 49; and 2 to submit the report to SLF 50.
SLF 50
At SLF 50, held from 30 April - 4 May 2007, the Sub-Committee established a Working Group on Safety of Small Fishing Vessels and instructed it, taking into account comments made and decisions taken in plenary, to: prepare modifications to the draft Safety recommendations for decked fishing vessels of less than 12 metres in length and undecked fishing vessels, based on the text contained in documents SLF 50/5/1, SLF 50/5/2, SLF 50/5/3 and SLF 50/5/4, so that the consolidated text of the draft Safety recommendations can be prepared by the Secretariat immediately after the session for relevant sub-committees and Member Governments to consider and comment as appropriate; and prepare a draft justification for the extension of the scope of the current work programme, concerning the development of guidelines for the implementation of the above Safety recommendations; and consider whether it is necessary to re-establish the correspondence group and, if so, prepare draft terms of reference for consideration by the Sub-Committee.
The Sub-Committee further developed the draft Safety recommendations for decked fishing vessels of less than 12 metres in length and undecked fishing vessels and referred relevant sections thereof to other Sub-Committees (including the Sub-committees on Radiocommunications and Search and Rescue (COMSAR), Ship Design and Equipment (DE), Fire Protection (FP), Safety of Navigation (NAV) and Standards of Training and Watchkeeping (STW)), as well as the MSC/MEPC Working Group on Human Element, for their input.
Taking into account the progress made at the session and the above justification to expand the work on this item, the Sub-Committee agreed to establish a correspondence group, under the coordination of South Africa, and instructed it to: taking into account the pending adoption of the ILO Convention and Recommendation concerning work in fishing, examine the text of the draft Safety recommendations to ensure consistency; review the work to be submitted by FAO on scantlings of wooden fishing vessels related to Annex II of the draft Safety recommendations; consider any comments of other sub-committees, as appropriate; consider the use of the words "should" and "would" where the Secretariat has not been directed to make these changes; and submit a report to SLF 51.
See the relevant working papers of the FVS ISCG.
SLF 51
GeneralAt SLF 51, held from 14 to 18 July 2008, the Sub-Committee recalled that SLF 50 had agreed, in principle, to the modifications proposed by the working group to the text of the draft Safety recommendations for decked fishing vessels of less than 12 metres in length and undecked fishing vessels and requested the Secretariat to prepare a consolidated text of the draft Safety recommendations.
The Sub-Committee also recalled that SLF 50, having endorsed the working group's recommended time frame for finalization of this work, specifying, inter alia, 2010 as the date for submission of the final draft Safety recommendations to the Committee for approval, had referred relevant parts of the draft Safety recommendations to the COMSAR, DE, FP, NAV and STW Sub-Committees as well as the MSC/MEPC Working Group on Human Element.
The Sub-Committee further recalled that SLF 50 had re-established the Correspondence Group on Fishing Vessel Safety to examine the text of the draft Safety recommendations, taking into account the ILO Convention and Recommendation concerning work in the fishing sector, FAO-related work and any comments of other sub-committees and the Committee.
The Sub-Committee noted that MSC 83, endorsing a proposal by SLF 50, had agreed to expand the Sub-Committee's existing work programme item to enable it to develop practical
guidelines to assist competent authorities in implementation of the Fishing Vessels Safety Code,
the Voluntary Guidelines and the Safety recommendations.
The Sub-Committee also noted that MSC 84 had referred an environmental issue, raised at MEPC 57, to the Sub-Committee for consideration and advice.
The Sub-Committee further noted that MSC 84, having agreed to include a new item on Development of an agreement on the implementation of the 1993 Torremolinos Protocol in the Sub-Committee's work programme, had instructed SLF 51 to give a preliminary consideration to the item.
The Sub-Committee, noting the consolidated text of the draft Safety recommendations prepared by the Secretariat (SLF 51/5), incorporating the modifications agreed by SLF 50, considered documents SLF 51/5/2, SLF 51/5/4 and SLF 51/2/2 (Secretariat), reporting on the outcome of FP 52, DE 51, STW 39, COMSAR 12, NAV 54 and MSC 84 (Human element WG) on the draft Safety recommendations.
Having considered the report of the correspondence group (SLF 51/5/1) submitted by South Africa, which examined the draft text of the Safety recommendations, taking into account the ILO's Work in Fishing Convention, 2007, FAO-related work and comments of other sub-committees, the Sub-Committee approved the report in general and, in particular, confirming the timetable for the completion of work by 2010, endorsed the recommendations that, upon finalization of the draft texts by other sub-committees, the text of the draft Safety recommendations should be reviewed by the Secretariat, to ensure consistency in style and format.
In the course of the consideration of the report of the correspondence group, the Sub-Committee noted that there was no clear indications of changes in the draft Safety recommendations and agreed that, in the future, the modified draft document should clearly show the proposed modifications. Subsequently, the Sub-Committee referred the draft Safety recommendations to the working group for further development.
In this regard, the Sub-Committee, noting the progress of FAO.s work on wooden and FRP vessel construction standards, requested FAO to submit the result regarding Annexes II and III to the Safety recommendations to the DE Sub-Committee after the completion of its research project.
Guidelines to assist competent authorities
The correspondence group will use this website to exchange and disseminate information and papers during the intersessional period. Submissions should be forwarded to the co-ordinator of the group, Capt. Nigel T. Campbell, with a copy to the group's webmaster Sverrir Konradsson.
Created:
21 September 2005
Revised:
25 January 2010