Marine Regulations & Guides

This official publication is the Chemicals Supplement to the IMGS published by the WHO and shall be considered a medical first aid guide (MFAG) to be used in case of accidents involving dangerous goods; the book was released to cover the substances as well as materials and articles that are addressed by the IMDG Code plus the materials that are covered by the Appendix B of the BC Code.

The intention was to provide the necessary technical advice for the initial management of potential poisoning by chemicals and diagnosis within the limits of the marine facilities. It shall be used together with the info that is provided in the BC Code, IMDG Code, EmS, IBC Code, and IGC Code. The treatment that is recommended in the pages of this document is particularly specified in the appropriate data tables and is more comprehensively presented in the Appendices.

Subject treatment cater for the possible consequences of the transportation of the dangerous cargo on board marine vessels. Please take into account that this paper is not intended to cover intentional ingestion; it is understood that the accidental ingestions of the toxic substances during the sea voyage are obviously very rare. This is a really useful and practical must-have book to be held on board of every ship involved in the transportation of the dangerous cargoes by sea.

The present Guide was developed by INTERTANKO with the intention to make all ship operators aware of the errors that could be made in the process of logging the information in the ORB. It was noted that erroneous logging of the relevant information into the oil record books was considered one of the main reasons for the growing number of vessels being detained and subsequently seriously fined in the United States.

This document contains the instructions and official interpretations on how all related operations shall be recorded in the ORB, i.e. oil record book, in order to be fully compliant with the appropriate provisions of MARPOL Convention; the list of the operations that shall be duly recorded in also included. In addition to that, the authors of the publication have also addressed numerous frequently found mistakes and errors, together with the detailed and informative examples of all operations. The document has been structured to facilitate the use for integration in the document management system of any member of INTERTANKO organization.

One of the main objective of the paper is to define the controls and associated activities that are required to ensure that all operations are recorded in the ORB in full accordance with the established and approved format and while being in line with the information logged in the other logbooks.​

The present official international guidelines were worked out by a professional cross-industry workgroup, with its secretariat being provided by IMCA, with the intention to provide necessary professional guidance relevant to the dynamic positioning on the offshore support vessels, that would be suitable for the international application.

The volume starts with the introduction where the basis of the present guidelines are outlines - this chapter also explains the scope and purpose of the document, provides the abbreviations, terms and definitions used throughout the text. The next chapter is dedicated to the existing international and regional rules and guidance, including certification and verification of the DP systems, professional training and certification of the personnel involved etc.

The third chapter provides required guidance on procedures, covering the loss of position, VPX, i.e. vessel positioning matrix, operational procedures and alert level responses, incident reporting and operational risk assessment. Then, several appendices are coming to provide reader with some supplementary materials like the list of relevant publications issued by IMCA, FMEA and annual trial programs. capability and footprint plots, sample documents and checklists etc.  

Please have a look into this book - it is the officially released Load Line Technical Manual which was prepared some time ago by the USCG with the ultimate intention of the authors to describe all applicable interpretations of the IMO Load Line Convention.

The first report integrating the US Load Line regulations and relevant policies, IMO circulars, IACS interpretations and the text of the Convention itself in a single documents was released in 1990, and the present Technical Manual has appeared as a result of the efforts made to prepare that report.

The publication is setting forth the established technical procedures applicable to the evaluation, calculation and assignment of the load lines. It is mainly applicable to the ships flying the flag of the US; however, the info provided in the manual will be interested to everyone. Brief contents as follows: Definition of terms; Applications and exceptions; General requirements; General particulars; Types of ships; Hull form corrections; Superstructure; Sheer; Minimum bow height; Load line marks and minimum freeboards; Miscellaneous freeboard items and corrections; Freeboard calculations for unique vessels; Sample calculations; Strength and stability requirements; General assessment criteria; Vertical access openings; Horizontal access openings; Ventilators; Airpipes; Scuppers, inlets and discharges; Side scuttles and freeing ports; Crew protection; Special conditions; General guidelines; Report to the Commandant...​

These Guidelines were officially released by ILO to provide required assistance for proper implementation of the provisions contained in the MLC 2006 related to the occupational safety and health. The MLC Convention of 2006 was adopted in the course of the special maritime session which was held in Geneva. The main goals of the convention are to ensure worldwide protection of seafarers rights and also to establish a field for the states and owners of the vessels committed to providing due conditions of living and working for the crew members.

OSH, standing for the occupational safety and health, implies anticipation and recognition as well as evaluation and further control of any hazards that can arise in, or from, the working place impairing the health, safety and wellbeing of the employees. The OSH is mainly focusing on the assessment and managements of the occupational risks, applying all necessary protection and prevention measures.

This is a very complex topic and it covers so many activity areas and standards that frequently require some adjustment to stay in line with the latest technological changes and researches in the field of potential health risks. This document provides information about fundamental OSH principles and responsibilities of the authorities, owners and seafarers, risks involved, accident reporting and investigation, and many other important topics.

This is the latest annual review by ICS organization. The booklet opens with the Chairman's overview. The main content is arranged in two big sections. The first section is devoted to the key issues of the maritime industry in 2017 - it covers such important areas as reducing carbon dioxide and associated IMO strategy for the next year, ballast water management, alternative low sulfur, pollution compensation and others.

The second section is the review itself. Among the topics covered there are global supply of seafarers, ILO minimum wage and developments, implementation of the training standards per STCW 2010, problems associated with the U.S. ballast water regime, crew repatriation issues, automation and digitization, maritime piracy, ship recycling, various ship construction issues, management of the cyber risks, United States energy exports, trade facilitation and negotiations, marine pollution liability and compensation matters, internal affairs - and this is not a full list.

You definitely must have a look in this review publication if you want to keep yourself up-to-date with all happenings in the industry and this booklet will let you avoid missing something important.

The Annual Review for the year 2016 submitted by the specialists of the ICS organization. The publication opens with a word from the Chairman... The man difference between a pessimist and an optimist is actually that the latter generally has much better time. And this is the main reason why the owners of the vessels shall always stay optimistic.

The present Review is exploring many issues of concern and interest to the merchant ship owners of today, as represented by this organization and its members. There are two trends ongoing in the maritime shipping industry, the first trend is that preparation for compliance with the newly implemented regulation presents one of the major challenges.

In turn, the second trend is that the IMO authority is continuing to get challenged by the unilateral rules, particularly rules that emanate from the US and EU. Many uncertainties are associated with the IMO BWM Convention. This document will be of interest for the people who shall be kept in the loop with everything going on in the industry, key issues and rules, environmental protection etc. Go through the content and familiarize yourself with the major trends and happenings. Continues in the Annual Review 2017.

The present document was issued by the United States CBP, i.e. Customs and Border protection, to serve as a guide providing all regulations and established procedures for the ships entering American waters. Though it is not actually intended as a comprehensive reflection of the regulations and laws governing entry to the US. It rather seeks to assist with proper identification of the issues considered significant to the maritime industry and list them in a logical manner.

The main objective of this guide is to promote the processing of all required forms as well as to ensure correct documentation and proper processing of the crew members and passengers; another goal is to reduce the fines. The content of the publication includes a comprehensive glossary of terminology used, many informative illustrations showing the forms, as well as the examples of the completed records.

The book starts with the arrival and departure manifests and entry requirements for the crew members, followed by the chapters devoted to the crew inspection and passengers, pre-inspection procedures, stowaways and private vessels, ferry operations and other important aspects that have to be addressed.