Press Release - Ship Surveys and Inspections
23 March 2001
The Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA), the principal
government body for enforcing ship safety standards, makes a major
contribution to the UK’s ship safety record, now one of the best in
the world. However, according to a report to Parliament today by
Sir John Bourn, head of the National Audit Office, the MCA can
increase its effectiveness.
The MCA is one of the world’s leading maritime authorities, with
a world-wide reputation for its professionalism. A survey of
British ships’ officers, carried out by the NAO as part of its
study, showed that a large majority considered the MCA’s surveys
and inspections as making a significant contribution towards the
safety of UK vessels and of foreign vessels visiting the UK. The
Agency also leads most other maritime authorities in prosecuting
serious breaches of maritime legislation; and its work has helped
to maintain the credibility of the UK’s maritime regulations and
presents a real deterrent to unsafe shipping.
However, Sir John pointed out that the MCA could make a greater
contribution to ship safety by focusing more of its work
where there is the greatest risk:
- The MCA needs to use a more risk-based approach for setting its
UK vessel inspection targets (which it is now implementing for
2001-02) and for selecting individual UK vessels.
- More of the MCA’s inspections of small UK passenger vessels
should be unannounced rather than carried out as part of the
vessels’ pre-arranged annual surveys, so that it is more likely to
identify serious deficiencies and unsafe operational practices.
Currently around half of these inspections are unannounced.
- Whilst meeting an international requirement to inspect the
equivalent of a quarter of visiting foreign ships, the Agency
should target more of its inspections on those foreign vessels
posing the greatest safety risk. Although it is better than many
other maritime authorities in targeting the riskiest foreign
vessels, over half of its inspections are of low risk vessels.
- The MCA should do more of its inspections at remote ports and
at weekends. It seldom visits some ports despite their handling
large volumes of traffic and it rarely inspects vessels at
weekends. This gives vessel operators the opportunity of minimising
the chance of their vessels being inspected.
Sir John found that the MCA needs to give more attention
to human factors in ship safety, particularly by gathering
more first hand intelligence about shortcomings in the management
and operation of vessels. Since the 1990s, the MCA has been
checking on the operational aspects of vessels and it now applies
the International Safety Management (ISM) Code, an international
standard to ensure the safe management of large ships. In addition,
the Government is to introduce a similar system for all UK
passenger vessels from June 2001. However, the Agency cannot
demonstrate that enough of its inspection work looks at these
factors. The Agency also needs to consider the case for carrying
out more inspections at sea rather than in port. Although there are
practical difficulties and additional costs associated with
inspections at sea, they would bring additional benefits by
allowing surveyors to assess more directly the management and
operation of vessels.
The MCA also needs to improve the information that it
obtains and to make better use of the knowledge at its
disposal. Its computer systems should be modernised so
that vital information is accessible in all of its marine offices.
And the MCA should improve the guidance for its surveyors and
ensure that it obtains from UK port authorities the information it
needs to target the riskiest vessels.
Sir John Bourn said today:
"The Maritime and Coastguard Agency has a vital job to
do in ensuring the high safety standards of UK-registered vessels
and an often difficult job in seeking to raise the standards of
foreign vessels visiting the UK. My report shows that the Agency
generally carries out its role very well, but that there are steps
it could take to make its surveys and inspections of vessels more
effective."
Notes for Editors
The Maritime and Coastguard Agency is responsible for
developing, promoting and enforcing high standards of marine safety
in the UK; in particular, for surveying and inspecting over 12,000
UK-registered vessels and inspecting a quarter of the 7,000 foreign
vessels that visit UK ports each year.
The Comptroller and Auditor General’s report is in response to a
recommendation by Lord Justice Clarke that an audit of the Maritime
and Coastguard Agency’s ship surveys and inspections regime be
undertaken, in the wake of the Marchioness disaster. In
1989 the passenger vessel Marchioness sank following a
collision with the dredger Bowbelle on the River Thames,
with the loss of 51 lives. In 1999 the Deputy Prime Minister
appointed Lord Justice Clarke to carry out a public inquiry into
safety on the Thames and the circumstances surrounding the
Marchioness disaster. In his Interim Report in December
1999, Lord Justice Clarke commented on the substantial changes that
had occurred in the field of ship safety and the importance that
the public attached to the safety of transport systems. He
considered that every organisation should have its systems
independently audited from time to time. Lord Justice Clarke’s
Report of the Marchioness-Bowbelle Formal Investigation is being
published today (23 March 2001).
The National Audit Office are on the Internet. Press notices are
available from the date of publication. These can be accessed
through the NAO press notices home page at
http://www.nao.org.uk/pn/index.htm.
The Comptroller and Auditor General, Sir John Bourn, is the head
of the National Audit Office employing some 750 staff. He and the
NAO are totally independent of Government. He certifies the
accounts of all Government departments and a wide range of other
public sector bodies; and he has statutory authority to report to
Parliament on the economy, efficiency and effectiveness with which
departments and other bodies have used their resources.
Press Notice 23/01
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