Introduction Maritime transport plays an essential role around the world since goods and products are transported by this means on a daily basis, it is currently essential for sustainable economic development in almost all countries of the world. The reason why maritime transport has managed to acquire such an important role in the shipment of merchandise is mainly due to security and low costs. Of course, this medium did not start like that. It was after the industrial revolution that the need to prioritize the safety of vessel was exposed because despite being the best means of transport goods and with the best costs, it used to suffer several accidents or inconveniences, so they ended up creating focused treaties in tonnage measurement, collision prevention, signaling and others, in addition to agreements. This until the creation of IMO who was in charge of guaranteeing that most of these agreements were kept up to date. What is Safety of Vessel? The safety and protection of the ship is a complex and very bureaucratic issue in which numerous organizations are involved and has involved an effort by crews, shipping companies and international organizations to keep the ship and crew members in the safest environment possible. Maritime security issues first rose to prominence on IMO′s work program following the hijacking of the Italian cruise ship Achille Lauro in October 1985. The IMO adopted a resolution on Measures to prevent unlawful acts that threaten the safety of the ship and the safeguarding of its passengers and crew, and in 1986 it published Guidance on measures to prevent unlawful acts against passengers and crew on board ships. In March 1988, the Convention for the Suppression of Unlawful Acts against the Safety of Maritime Navigation (SUA Convention) was adopted, with a protocol that extends its requirements to unlawful acts against the safety of fixed platforms located on the continental shelf. Both instruments were updated and revised in 2005. Following terrorist atrocities in different parts of the world, several of which targeted transport infrastructure, the IMO adopted a comprehensive set of maritime security measures in 2002, which came into force in July 2004. The most important and far-reaching is the International Ship and Port Facility Security Code (ISPS or ISPS Code). This Code stipulates, among other things, that Governments must carry out risk assessments to determine the degree of threat to security in their ports, and that both ships and ports must appoint, for this purpose, security officers. protection and that official protection plans must be drawn up and approved by governments. IMO has adopted other instruments on maritime security, including recommendations on security measures for ro-ro passenger ships engaged in international voyages of 24 hours or less, and on security measures for ports; guidelines on the allocation of responsibilities to try to successfully resolve cases of stowaway; and guidelines for the prevention and suppression of the smuggling of drugs, psychotropic substances and precursor chemicals on ships engaged in international maritime transport. The problem of rising piracy and armed robbery against ships was first highlighted at IMO in the early 1980s. In the late 1990s, IMO initiated an anti-piracy project in order to promote the conclusion of regional agreements for the implementation of measures to combat piracy. The Regional Cooperation Agreement to Combat Piracy and Armed Robbery Against Ships in Asia (RECAAP), concluded in November 2004 by 16 Asian countries and including the Information Clearinghouse (ISC) to facilitate exchange of information on piracy, is a good example of effective regional cooperation that IMO wants to replicate elsewhere. Guidance for Governments and ship owners, operators, captains and crews on the prevention and suppression of piracy and armed robbery against ships was first published in the 1990s and has been updated and reviews. More recently, guidance has been issued on piracy and armed robbery against ships off the coast of Somalia. IMO has also developed and published interim guidance for ship owners, operators and masters regarding the use of private armed security personnel on board ships in the high-risk area, guidance for flag States on measures to prevent and mitigating Somali-based piracy, and interim guidance for private maritime security companies providing private armed security personnel aboard ships in the high-risk area. The objectives of this Code are: o Establish an international framework that channels cooperation between Contracting Governments, government agencies, local administrations and the shipping and port sectors in order to detect threats to protection and adopt preventive measures against events that affect the protection of ships or port facilities used for international trade. o Define the respective roles and responsibilities of the Contracting Governments, government agencies, local administrations and the shipping and port sectors, at the national and international levels, in order to guarantee maritime protection. o Ensure that protection-related information is collected and exchanged promptly and effectively. o Present a methodology to carry out protection assessments in order to have plans and procedures that allow reacting to changes in protection levels. oGuarantee confidence that adequate and proportionate maritime protection measures are in place. Ships are required to act in accordance with the levels of security established by the Contracting Governments, as indicated below. At security level 1, the following activities shall be carried out and appropriate measures shall be taken on all ships, taking into account the guidance provided in Part B of this Code, in order to identify and take preventive measures against incidents that affect maritime security: oEnsuring that all tasks related to ship security are carried out. oControl access to the ship. oControl the boarding of people and their effects; oSupervise restricted areas to ensure that only the same authorized people have access. oMonitor the deck areas and the areas surrounding the ship; oSupervise the handling of the cargo and the stores of the ship y ensure that means are available for protection communications. What Are Conventions? It is essential to know what the connections are and what we will be talking about during this work. The conventions are agreements of wills between two or more parties with respect to a particular matter. In general, they include clauses, regulations or resolutions that both parties know and declare to comply with. These together with their scope and limitations are established through a document, in addition to the implications in case any of the parties does not comply with what was agreed. By 1958, several important international conventions on safety of vessel had already been developed, notably the International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea, 1948, and the International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution of Marine Waters by hydrocarbons, 1954, as well as conventions related to cargo lines and the prevention of collisions at sea. Currently, the IMO is responsible for more than 50 international conventions and agreements and has adopted numerous protocols and amendments. Some Are: International Convention on Maritime Search and Rescue. Convention for the Suppression of Unlawful Acts Against the Safety of Maritime Navigation, and Protocol for the Suppression of Unlawful Acts Against the Safety of Fixed Platforms located on the Continental Shelf. International Convention for Safe Containers. International Convention on Standards of Training, Certification and Watchkeeping for Fishing Vessel Personnel. Athens Convention relating to the Carriage of Passengers and their Luggage by Sea. International Convention on Salvage. What Is IMO? Starting in the mid-19th century, several countries began to propose the establishment of an international organization to promote maritime safety more effectively, but it was not until the establishment of the United Nations that this became a reality. In 1948 an international conference in Geneva adopted a convention formally establishing IMO (the original name was the Inter-Governmental Maritime Consultative Organization, or IMCO, but the name was changed in 1982 to IMO). This organization has the mission of promote safe, secure, environmentally sound, efficient and sustainable shipping through cooperation. This will be accomplished by adopting the highest practicable standards of maritime safety and security, efficiency of navigation and prevention and control of pollution from ships, as well as through consideration of the related legal matters and effective implementation of IMO’s instruments with a view to their universal and uniform application. IMO′s first task when it came into being in 1959 was to adopt a new version of the International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS), the most important of all treaties dealing with maritime safety. When Was The IMO Established? It has always been recognized that the best way to improve safety at sea is to develop international standards that are observed by all shipping nations, and a series of international treaties began to be adopted starting in the mid-19th century. Several countries proposed the establishment of a permanent international body with a view to promoting maritime safety more effectively, but it was not until the establishment of the United Nations that these hopes were realized. In 1948, within the framework of an international conference held in Geneva, an agreement was adopted formally establishing the International Maritime Organization (IMO) – called at that time ″Intergovernmental Maritime Consultative Organization″ (IMCO); in 1982 it was changed to the current name, IMO -. IMO′s Articles of Agreement entered into force in 1958 and the new Organization met for the first time the following year. List of IMO conventions Almost all the conventions adopted and under the responsibility of the IMO fall into three categories. These are: maritime safety; the prevention of marine pollution; and liability and compensation, especially in relation to damage caused by pollution. Maritime Safety Convention on the International Regulations for Preventing Collisions at Sea, 1972 (COLREGs) This agreement is an update to the 1960 collision regulations. The current one had some important innovations with respect to the first, such as: traffic separation schemes (Guidance in determining safe speed, the risk of collision and the conduct of vessels operating in or near traffic separation schemes.) This convention include 41 rules divided into six sections. International Convention on Load Lines(LL), 1966 Provisions are made for determining the freeboard of vessel by subdivision and damage stability calculations. The main purpose of these measures is to ensure the watertight integrity of ships′ hulls below the freeboard deck. This convention is divided into three annexes, the first in turn is separated into three chapters. International Convention on Maritime Search and Rescue(SAR), 1979 Its objective was to develop an international search and rescue plan where the rescue of persons in distress at sea will be coordinated by a SAR organization and, where necessary, through cooperation between neighboring SAR organizations. Its annex contains five chapters. Convention for the Suppression of Unlawful Acts Against the Safety of Maritime Navigation, Protocol for the Suppression of Unlawful Acts Against the Safety of Fixed Platforms Located on the Continental Shelf The creation of this conventions was based on the fact that the IMO assembly adopted measures to prevent illegal acts since they threatened the safety of the vessel, its passengers and crew. the agreement has twenty-two articles and the protocols have twelve articles. Convention on the International Maritime Satellite Organization (IMSO C), 1976 This convention together with the International Mobile Satellite Organization adopted Criteria for the Provision of Mobile Satellite Communication Systems through resolution A.1001(25). The objective is to offer maritime distress and safety communications within the GMDSS. The Torremolinos International Convention for the Safety of Fishing Vessels (SFV) This convention arose from the 1977 Convention, where the great difference in the designs of the fishing boats and the vessels came to light. This consists of 6 resolutions oConference Resolution 1 Early implementation of the Agreement oConference Resolution 2 Avoidance of a situation in which two conflicting treaty regimes are operational. oConference Resolution 3 Promotion of technical co-operation and provision of technical assistance. oConference Resolution 4 Preparation of a consolidated text oConference Resolution 5 Procedure for calculating the number of fishing vessels of each Contracting State by the Depositary. oConference Resolution 6 Expression of appreciation to the host Government Conventions covering liability and compensation International Convention on Civil Liability for Oil Pollution Damage(CLC), 1969 The Civil Liability Convention was adopted to ensure that adequate compensation is available to persons who suffer oil pollution damage resulting from maritime casualties involving oil-carrying ships. Other subjects International Convention on Tonnage Measurement of Ships (TONNAGE), 1969 This convention introduced a tonnage measurement system with gross tonnage and net tonnage. The gross tonnage is a function of the moulded volume of all enclosed spaces of the ship. The net tonnage is produced by a formula which is a function of the moulded volume of all cargo spaces of the ship. International Convention on Salvage (SALVAGE), 1989 SALVAGE is the agreement created to solve a problem of the salvage law adopted in Brussels in 1910, said problem was that salvagers who avoided contamination but did not save the vessel or cargo were not rewarded. This was solved with a special compensation.
