Delegates at the Red Ensign Group Technical Forum took part in lively discussions around a scenario-based workshop designed to look at Port State Control and how different solutions can meet different incidents.
The workshop which brought together delegates from across the thirteen British Shipping Registries including Anguilla, Bermuda, British Virgin Islands, Cayman Islands, Falkland Islands, Gibraltar, Guernsey, Isle of Man, Jersey, Turks & Caicos and the UK.
It’s the first time the workshop – developed by the MCA with support from the Paris MoU Secretariat - has been held as part of the Red Ensign Group Technical Forum.
All of the questions and issues are realistic possibilities in Port State Control and cover aspects such as behavioural health and safety, future fuels, seafarer certification and autonomous vessel technology.
Suzanne Capper, Head of Inspection Operations with the MCA who led the session said: “These workshops work because people come prepared to bring their expertise and their stories to input to the scenarios. Often those taking part find themselves taking away ideas and solutions simply because someone else has walked that way before them.”
REG Technical Forum also looked at a number of regulatory matters of interest to the wider group. There was also an opportunity for the Category 2 register representatives to hold their working group.
Simon Wade from St Helena said: “It is really informative to hear what the wider group is doing and hear some of the issues and challenges they are facing. It’s useful to have this kind of insight for future issues we might face as well as having discussions around the small vessel policy we are currently looking at. Equally it is interesting to hear the types of discussions that the whole Red Ensign Group is having around the work it does and supports.”
And Trevor Williams from Turks & Caicos Islands said: “Although we are a Category 2 administration, vessels, tankers and yachts do make calls on the island so getting an understanding technical aspects as to codes and standards implemented across the Red Ensign Group are really useful to help us get an understanding of the requirements regarding Port State Control.”
REG Technical Forum was held over two days in Southampton, UK.