THE UN's International Maritime Organisation (IMO) Secretary General Kitack Lim says the underreporting of casualties among crew onboard vessels at sea has prompted the body to step up its casualty monitoring, reported London's Lloyd's List.
'This item should be taken care of properly and in my position, having known the concern from the public, I will put in more effort to this aspect. I am going to have some more conversations with member states to improve this situation,' he said.
Mr Lim admitted that while the IMO has audit schemes and guidelines to encourage member states to report accidents, there is still underreporting, yet the filing of investigation reports to the IMO on very serious casualties, defined as cases in which there is loss of life, complete loss of the vessel or major damage to the environment, is mandatory. However, there is no time limit.
Among the most notorious cases of pending reports is the Marshall Islands-flagged Stellar Daisy, the iron ore carrier that capsized in March 2017, leaving 22 seafarers missing. A report has yet to be produced on the incident. In January two liquefied petroleum gas carriers exploded in the Kerch Strait, leaving at least 14 seafarers dead.
IMO Secretary General Kitack Lim admits the IMO has to do more on this front and has vowed to personally undertake this effort. He said he will put in more effort so the body can point to a stronger track record on casualty monitoring.
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'This item should be taken care of properly and in my position, having known the concern from the public, I will put in more effort to this aspect. I am going to have some more conversations with member states to improve this situation,' he said.
Mr Lim admitted that while the IMO has audit schemes and guidelines to encourage member states to report accidents, there is still underreporting, yet the filing of investigation reports to the IMO on very serious casualties, defined as cases in which there is loss of life, complete loss of the vessel or major damage to the environment, is mandatory. However, there is no time limit.
Among the most notorious cases of pending reports is the Marshall Islands-flagged Stellar Daisy, the iron ore carrier that capsized in March 2017, leaving 22 seafarers missing. A report has yet to be produced on the incident. In January two liquefied petroleum gas carriers exploded in the Kerch Strait, leaving at least 14 seafarers dead.
IMO Secretary General Kitack Lim admits the IMO has to do more on this front and has vowed to personally undertake this effort. He said he will put in more effort so the body can point to a stronger track record on casualty monitoring.
WORLD SHIPPING