July 26 - Heavy lift shipping lines and pilots of heavy lift vessels are the target of authors of a revised brochure aimed at shipping companies and seafarers, reminding them of the vital need to ensure that ladders used for pilot transfers are safe and a
The International Maritime Pilots' Association (IMPA) and the International Chamber of Shipping (ICS) have joined forces to update a brochure aimed at shipping companies and seafarers, reminding them of the vital need to ensure that ladders used for pilot transfers are safe and always rigged correctly.
The revised brochure - 'Shipping Industry Guidance on Pilot Transfer Arrangements' - is supported by a wide range of other international shipping bodies. It takes account of the latest amendments to the Safety of Life at Sea Convention (SOLAS) concerning pilot ladders, which came into effect onJuly 1, 2012.
IMPA secretary general, Nick Cutmore, says: "Sadly, pilots continue to lose their lives as a result of accidents while boarding or disembarking from ships, and many more have been seriously injured. We are therefore very pleased by the support we have received from ICS, as well as from other industry organisations and unions, in helping to promote the message to seafarers and to shipping company management about the vital need to rig pilot ladders safely in accordance with SOLAS."
