GEORGE
TOWN, Grand Cayman

The
Cayman Islands has been designated to host the 11th
annual Port State Control Officer’s (PSCO) Seminar as well as the
6th
annual On-the-Job Training Programme (OJT) for the Caribbean
Memorandum of Understanding (CMOU) on Port State Control (PSC). The
seminar takes place 8 – 12 April 2019 at Cannon Place, George Town.

This
week’s seminar is part of the ongoing efforts of the CMOU to ensure
that the region’s Port State Control Officers have the proper, and
ongoing, training they require in order to meet the needs of keeping
the CMOU functioning properly.

The
CMOU for port State control (PSC) maintains a watchful eye throughout
the Caribbean region to ensure that shipping is conducted in a safe,
secure and environmentally friendly manner. The Cayman Islands is a
Member State and the Cayman Islands Shipping Registry (CISR), a
division of the Maritime Authority of the Cayman Islands, has the
Cayman Islands Government-delegated responsibility for the
implementation of the Cayman Islands responsibilities under the CMOU
on PSC.

PSC
is globally recognized as an effective tool to reduce the number of
sub-standard ships operating on the seas. It is a second line of
defense that helps to preserve the safety and security of life,
property and the marine environment, as some flag State
Administrations fail to effectively enforce the implementation of
international agreements on vessels flying their flags.

PSC
is the inspection of foreign flagged ships that call into national
ports, and it is conducted by maritime authorities around the world.
PSC officers (inspectors) inspect the competency of the master and
officers on board, and the condition of the ship, and certifies that
its equipment complies with the requirements of international
conventions such as the Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS) convention;
International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships
(MARPOL); International Convention on Standards of Training,
Certification and Watchkeeping for Seafarers (STCW); the Maritime
Labour Convention 2006 (MLC); and others relevant to the maritime
industry.

As
the Maritime Industry continues to evolve and develop to remain
relevant, so do the regulations, policies and procedures which govern
port State control, both regionally and internationally. They need to
be continuously reviewed and updated and these annual seminars allow
for the dissemination and instruction on the revised tools and
resources along with on-the-job training.

This
year’s seminar will see new guidelines and training for MARPOL
Annex V, which aims to eliminate and reduce the amount of garbage
being dumped in the sea from ships; the Ballast Water Management
Convention, 2004 which aims to prevent the spread of harmful aquatic
organisms from one region to another and halt damage to the marine
environment from ballast water discharge; the SCV Code (2017) which
aims to prescribe standards of construction and emergency equipment
for small commercial vessels operating in the Caribbean; and for the
Nairobi Convention which aims to address the accelerating degradation
of the world’s oceans and coastal areas through the sustainable
management and use of the marine and coastal environment.

Attending
the PSCO Seminar are CMOU Member State delegates from Antigua &
Barbuda, Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Cayman Islands, Curaçao, France,
Guyana, Grenada, Jamaica, St. Kitts & Nevis, St. Vincent &
the Grenadines, St. Lucia, Suriname, Trinidad & Tobago as well as
Observer State delegates of Anguilla and Sint Maarten.