The General Organisation of Sea Ports today welcomed delegates to the three-day regional Port State Control (PSC) executive committee meeting at its premises adjacent to the Khalifa Bin Salman Port in Bahrain. Delegates from the six R-MOU member nations (Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, KSA and UAE) began discussions on updates to the Riyadh Memorandum of Understanding (R- MoU), which aims to achieve safe, secure and efficient shipping in maritime jurisdictions in the Gulf region.
First signed in June 2005 between the six nations, the R-MoU is one of several regional agreements on Port State Control signed by maritime authorities under the auspices of the International Maritime Organization (IMO). The agreement commits the maritime authorities from the six Gulf states to a unified system of port state control measures, and intensifies cooperation and information exchange on issues concerning Port State Control.
Highlighting the importance of the meeting, Mr. Hassan Ali Al Majed, Director General of GOP said: “As an active member of the Riyadh MoU, the GOP is committed to promoting maritime safety and protecting the marine environment in the Gulf region through mutual co-operation and best practice sharing with other member nations. As a team our collective effort is to progressively strengthen the maritime capabilities of the region by discussing the latest developments and augmentations that can be made to such agreements. We also help ensure that vessels trading in the region’s common waters comply with requirements of international maritime conventions.”
During the three-day meeting, Bahrain will present three papers to the committee related to training issues, Concentrated Inspections Campaigns on vessels (CIC) and the development of the Riyadh MoU information system which records and provides member states with up-to-date information on vessel inspections by Port State Authorities. The system will ensure that information on ships flagged as deficient by one Port State Control authority will be instantly available to all R-MoU member states. The committee also will follow up on the establishment of a Secretariat and Information centre in the Sultanate of Oman.
Over the three days, the participants will learn more about the PSC procedures for detecting maritime safety hazards. The PSC governs the inspection of foreign ships in national ports to verify that the condition of the ship and its equipment comply with the requirements of international regulations and that the ship is manned and operated in compliance with convention standards.
The effective implementation of the Riyadh MoU is part of GOP’s overall strategy to enhance the Kingdom’s maritime capabilities. By inspecting foreign ships to check if they comply with international rules on safety, pollution prevention and seafarers working conditions GOP continues to ensure the Kingdom’s maritime safety and security. The organisation remains committed to demonstrating the professional excellence of the national maritime industry and offering quality services to meet the needs of users and stakeholders.
