Interferry Regulatory Committee Transition to Regulatory Forum

Call For Nominations of Subject Matter Experts

Interferry has been present on the regulatory scene since 2006, when we were granted observer status at the International Maritime Organization, IMO. Work at the IMO has primarily been addressed in an ad hoc nature, sometimes for extended periods of time, relying on the technical expertise within the membership and the co-ordination and execution carried out by the Secretariat.

The IMO primarily develop regulations based on input from Member States and other stakeholders, like Interferry. Their work is managed through Committees and sub-committees and is overall highly transparent and predictable.

However, the volume of on-going deliberations is challenging to cover, and the implications of uninformed rules could be disastrous for our members. Discussions at the IMO are very detailed, especially when dealt with by the sub-committees. Involvement of subject matter experts before and during IMO sessions is critical.

Since the number of new regulatory outputs at the IMO do not seem to be reduced anytime soon, the Interferry Board has decided that we need more hands on the regulatory deck!

The current Interferry Regulatory Committee will be transformed into a Regulatory Forum, with four chaired panels and where the Regulatory Forum itself will deal with high-level issues emanating from MSC.

Forum and Panels Descriptions

MEPC (&PPR) • Maritime Environment Protection Committee (+Pollution Prevention and Response)

• GHG emissions
• fuel/energy efficiency
• air pollution (Nox, SOx, PM)
• oil and sewage discharges
• waste/plastics, biofouling, ballast water and pollution response

MSC (&HTW) • Maritime Safety Committee (+Human Training and Watchkeeping)

• ship safety
• navigation
• equipment and operational safety
• STCW training
• Certification
• watchkeeping
• competence for new fuels and technologies

SDC • Ship Design and Construction

• subdivision
• stability
• load lines
• materials and related technical safety standards
• battery-electric propulsion
• wind-assisted propulsion
• other GHG-reducing technologies

SSE • Ship Systems and Equipment

• ro-ro and ro-pax fire safety
• fire prevention, detection and extinguishing systems
• structural fire protection
• separation and protection of accommodation and other spaces
• emerging risks from battery-electric vehicles and battery energy-storage systems
• life-saving appliances and other safety-critical ship systems and equipment

CCC • Carriage of Cargoes and Containers

• dangerous goods carried on ro-ro decks
• IMDG Code
• IGF Code (methanol, LNG, hydrogen)
• low-flashpoint fuels; emerging fuels such as hydrogen, ammonia and methanol