BD begins remaking shipping laws ahead of IMO audit

The government has started updating shipping laws to comply with various conventions of the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) as the global body will conduct a mandatory audit for the first time in Bangladesh next year, officials said.
A project titled 'national ships and mechanised boat database management and capacity building' has been undertaken to accomplish the task efficiently. The department of shipping (DoS) is now going to appoint a foreign consulting firm for this purpose.
DoS director-general Zakiur Rahman Bhuiyan told the FE that the IMO will hold the audit for the first time in Bangladesh under its 'member state audit scheme' sometime in late 2017.
"We need to incorporate various sections of the international conventions into our shipping laws to comply with the IMO requirements," he said.
Mr Bhuiyan said the DoS is taking necessary preparation for the audit under which capacity building of people concerned and the updating of the laws will be done.
A project namely establishment of Global Marine Distress and Safety System (GMDSS) and Integrated Maritime Navigation System has been taken up for ensuring security of vessels plying the sea and coastal areas.
Necessary navigation equipment, including lighthouses and radio stations, will be set up under the project so that vessels can be given support during disastrous incidents. Besides, development of vessels traffic management, and coordination in search and rescue of vessels will be improved once the project is implemented, Mr Bhuiyan noted.
A move is also underway to appoint adequate number of employees and officials as the shipping department lacks necessary manpower.
Besides, he further said, the ship-registration process and internal works of the DoS will be automated soon so that all information can be available online.
According to officials the DoS is responsible for implementation of four laws related to the shipping sector. The laws are: Bangladesh Inland Shipping Ordinance 1976, Bangladesh Flag Vessels (Protection) Ordinance 1982, Bangladesh Merchant Shipping Ordinance 1983, and the Lighthouse Act 1927.
The ministry of shipping (MoS) recently decided to appoint consultants to update the ordinances and acts to fit in the IMO conventions.
Since 2003, Bangladesh has stayed as a 'B'-category council member of the IMO. It got membership of the global body in 1976.
The IMO's Member State Audit Scheme is intended to provide a comprehensive and objective assessment of how effectively the member-state administers and implements those mandatory IMO instruments which are covered by the Scheme.
The audit scheme is expected to yield many benefits which include identifying where capacity-building activities (for example, the provision of technical assistance by IMO to Member States) would have the greatest effect.
It is believed the scheme will help to target appropriate action to improve performance. The member-states would receive feedback intended to assist them in improving their own capacity to put the applicable instruments into practice.
Also, generic lessons learnt from audits could be provided to all member-states so that the benefits could be widely shared.
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