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4 WMU J. Maritime Aff. 1 (2005)

handle is hein.journals/wnujlmti4 and id is 1 raw text is: WMU JOURNAL OF MARITIME AFFAIRS, 2005, VOL. 4, NO.1, 1-3 Setting Higher Standards in Shipping Editorial Why does the shipping industry need standards, and who should set them? The industry is truly global. The effective management and operations of ships from one area may affect the well being of people on the other side of the world. It is in every- one's interests to set standards of safety and environmental protection, so that those who serve in the ships, their passengers, coastal nations and the shippers of cargo, can expect high quality services and high levels of safety. The main raison d'etre of the International Maritime Organization is to act as the standard setting body. Getting more than 150 maritime nations to agree is no easy task and requires good will, diplomacy and hard work. Remarkable progress is being made. Recent years have seen the 1995 revisions of Standards of Training Certifica- tion and Watchkeeping Convention (STCW), and the introduction of the Interna- tional Safety Management (ISM) Code. Legislation based upon them is starting to take effect and sub-standard operations are slowlybeing eliminated. Already, there are demands for standards beyond the basics of watchkeeping and training set out in STCW95. There are three particular areas that need more than the basics. Firstly, accepting that STCW is a basic standard, more detailed and specific higher levels of knowledge and skills need to be built into the training of officers and senior ratings to ensure high levels of performance in a modern industry. This is partly referring to technical competence, but also includes management and leader- ship. Secondly, further training is needed for specialist trades. Despite the short courses for tanker trades, the SCTW Codes cannot go into sufficient depth to ensure that the necessary knowledge and skills are delivered in ships such as gas carriers, chemical tankers and other specialist trades. In a competitive and rapidly changing industry, seafarers either through necessity or choice, change employers and change trades, and if there were no high level standards, each operator would need to carry out in- house training for every new recruit. If there are high level training standards for specialist trades, it will help employers and seafarers alike and make operations safer and more efficient. Thirdly, ships' officers are professionals, and as such they should be encouraged to keep themselves up-to-date and well informed about new technology; they should be learning lessons from accidents and be aware of research and new operating prac- tices and procedures. Providing a systematic framework of continuing professional development, rather than the present ad hoc system, would be a major step forward. Professional bodies are the key.