An International Maritime Organization (IMO) committee adopted a resolution asking the IMO’s member states to recommend several safety changes to cruise lines.
The Maritime Safety Committee, meeting in London last week, invited member states to urge “a review of operational safety measures to ships flying their flag, on a voluntary basis,” and to consider the following interim safety measures.
• Carrying additional lifejackets, to be readily accessible in public spaces, at the muster/assembly stations, on deck or in lifeboats, so that in the event of an emergency passengers won’t have to return to their cabins to retrieve a lifejacket.
• Reviewing the adequacy of the dissemination and communication of the emergency instructions on board ships.
• Carrying out the muster for embarking passengers prior to departure from every port of embarkation.
• Limiting access to the bridge to those with operational or operationally related functions during any period of restricted manouvers, or while maneuvering in conditions that the master or company bridge procedures/policy deems to require increased vigilance.
• Ensuring that the ship's voyage plan has taken into account IMO’s guidelines for voyage planning, and, if appropriate, guidelines on voyage planning for passenger ships operating in remote areas.
These measure mirror those put forward by CLIA, which is conducting its own review of industry safety practices following the Costa Concordia accident Jan. 13.
The IMO committee also agreed to an action plan on "long-term work for passenger ship safety," pending the review of the Concordia investigation.
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