IMO To Amend Existing Routeing System To Mitigate Accidents

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  • IMO plans change the routeing system to mitigate accidents, loss of life and pollution.
  • An additional two-way route in the Great Barrier Reef and Torres Strait, to serve as a protective measure for the Particularly Sensitive Sea Area
  • The other two-way route in the traffic separation scheme (TSS) off the French island of Ushant, to remove ambiguities.
  • This would account for developments in ship navigation and traffic management technology.
  • Proposed routeing measures to be forwarded to IMO’s MSC 102nd session for adoption.
  • Measures expected to be implemented six months later.

IMO planning to change the routeing system to mitigate accidents, loss of life and pollution, writes Martyn Wingrove for an article published in Riviera Maritime Media.

Amendments to existing routes

IMO’s Maritime Safety Committee (MSC) is planning to adopt recommendations from national governments to amend existing routes to prevent groundings and ship collisions.

The recommendations

Navigation, Communications and Search and Rescue (NCSR) held its 7th session on 15-24 January 2020.

The amendments are according to the recommendations from IMO’s Sub-Committee.

Approved ship route amendments

  1. Creating an additional two-way route in the Great Barrier Reef and Torres Strait, in Far North Queensland, Australia, to serve as a protective measure for the Particularly Sensitive Sea Area in the Great Barrier Reef and Torres Strait.
  2. The other ship route amendment is for the two-way route in the traffic separation scheme (TSS) off the French island of Ushant at the south-western end of the Channel, to remove ambiguities and account for developments in ship navigation and traffic management technology.

Consolidation of routeing systems in Norway

NCSR 7 also approved harmonising and consolidating ship routeing systems in Norway, covering the western and southern coasts of Norway and the coast of Norway from Vardø to Røst.

  • Each has their own TSS and recommended routes. 
  • NCSR 7  recommended MSC to harmonise with one set standard. 

Why harmonising with one set?

NCSR said it expects this harmonising to optimise the effect of the routeing systems.

Amendments to Slupska Bank TSS

NCSR 7 also approved amendments to the Slupska Bank TSS in the southern part of the Baltic Sea to extend the existing TSS in Poland. 

NCSR said that this should reduce the danger of 

  • groundings in the area of shallows detected further east of the existing TSS and 
  • outside the Polish territorial seas.

IMO’s MSC 102nd session

These proposed routeing measures are to be forwarded to IMO’s MSC 102nd session for adoption and are expected to be implemented six months later.

The session is scheduled to be held during 13-22 May.

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Source: Riviera Maritime Media