52nd meeting of Paris MoU Committee kicked off in Saint-Petersburg
The Paris Memorandum of Understanding on Port State Control (Paris MoU) is holding its 52nd Committee meeting in Saint-Petersburg, Russia, Yuri Kostin, Director of the State Policy Department for Maritime and River Transport of the Russian Transport Ministry, told IAA PortNews.
The Committee work that will last till 17 May 2019 involves more than 60 delegates from the member States and guests. Paris MoU Chairman Brian Hogan, Tokyo MoU Secretary Hideo Kubota, Indian Ocean MoU Deputy Secretary A.B. Dutta.
“For the first time over many years Russia is hosting the Paris MoU Committee”, said Yury Kostin.
In 2017, Russia hosted the 28th meeting of the Port State Control Committee, the governing body under the Memorandum of Understanding on Port State Control in the Asia- Pacific Region (Tokyo MOU). The meeting was held in Vladivostok on 18-21 September 2017. Mr. Kitack Lim, Secretary-General of IMO, made a key note speech.
State port control in the Russian Federation is based on the Merchant Shipping Code, General Rules for navigation and accommodation of ships in seaports and at the approaches to them, as well as international conventions approved by IMO and ratified by Russia.
The Maritime Authority of the Russian Federation adhered to the Memorandum on 10 November 1995. As of today, Russia is a member state of three MoUs initiated by IMO: Paris MoU, Tokyo MoU and Black Sea MoU.
The Russian Federation is engaged in development and maintenance of information systems for the Tokyo and Black Sea MoUs and also provides technical assistance to Abuja MoU.
In his keynote speech Yury Kostin reminded that “the participants of the session held in Hobart in 2016 developed a proposal on harmonization of Paris MoU and Tokyo MoU regulations to ensure a more efficient control system for port states and for facilitation of data exchange between member states”.
“As of today, interchange of information on inspections and measures undertaken in respect of ships is being successfully applied today,” emphasized Yury Kostin.
The Maritime Authority of the Russian Federation has paid special attention to the professional level of inspectors. Their training complies with “The General Plan for training of state port control inspectors for foreign and Russian ships in the Russian Federation”. The courses are offered by the industry-related educational institution such as Admiral Makarov State University of Maritime and Inland Shipping, Ushakov State Maritime University and Nevelskoy Maritime State University. Seminars for state port control inspectors are held on a regular basis in Saint-Petersburg, Novorossiysk and in the Far East of Russia.
