By
Rebecca Gibson |
Mandatory electronic information exchange is to be introduced to the maritime industry following the approval of a revised annex to the Convention on Facilitation of International Maritime Traffic (FAL), 1965.
Meeting for its 39th session, the International Maritime Organization’s (IMO) Facilitation Committee (FAL) approved the updated convention after carrying out a five-year review. To be circulated with a view to adoption at the next FAL meeting – scheduled for March/April 2016 – the revised annex would introduce the mandatory electronic exchange of information on cargo, crew and passengers.
The FAL convention includes standards and recommended practices related to the documentation requirements and procedures which should be applied on the arrival, stay and departure of the ship, as well as to her crew, passengers, baggage and cargo.
Proposed changes would oblige public authorities to establish systems for the electronic exchange of information within a period of three years after the adoption of the amendments. Operators and shipowners would have a 12-month period before the electronic transmissions become mandatory, during which paper and electronic documents would be allowed. To prevent duplicated data from being submitted to public authorities, the standard also recommends the use of a ‘single window’ concept.
Other revised standards cover shore leave and access to shore-side facilities for crew, mandating that shore leave requests should not be granted on the basis of nationality, race, colour, sex, religion, political opinion, or social origin, irrespective of the flag State of the ship on which seafarers are employed, engaged or work.
Regulations and recommended practices relating to stowaways have also been updated to include references to relevant sections of the International Ship and Port Facilities’ Security Code. The new standard requires governments, where appropriate, to incorporate into their national framework legal grounds to allow for the prosecution of stowaways, attempted stowaways and any individual or company aiding a stowaway (or an attempted stowaway) with the intention to facilitate access to the port area, any ship, cargo or freight containers.
The IMO Standardized Forms, which cover IMO General Declaration; Cargo Declaration; Ship’s Stores Declaration; Crew’s Effects Declaration; Crew List, Passenger List and Dangerous Goods will be updated.
The new revised annex could enter into force 15 months after adoption, under the tacit acceptance procedure.