Ron Strathdee summarized the key activities related to implementing new maritime legislation over the past 4 years and next steps for the Isle of Man. These include conducting a gap analysis and stakeholder consultations to develop 12 new sets of regulations. The regulations will be sent to the UK for approval and then the Isle of Man legislature to become law. Inspections and certification using the Isle of Man's own surveyors will start in November 2012. The new regulations will move to a goal-based approach using convention requirements as the baseline. Shipowners can develop alternative compliance methods. Medical certificates from various conventions will be accepted. Close links will be formed between health promotion, safety risk assessments, and reporting of occupational diseases.

1. Norwegian Sea Health
Conference April 2012
Ron Strathdee
Principal Surveyor

2. What have we done in the last 4 years?
• Current legislation
• Gap analysis
• Policy decisions
• Consultation with interested parties
• Legislation decision - new or amend?
• 12 new sets of regulations
• Newsletters/seminar
• Training inspectors
• Trial inspections

3. What happens next?
• Sent to UK for approval.
• Tynwald approval to become IOM law.
• Extended to us – needs UK to ratify first.
• Ist November 2012 Start inspections and issuing
certification.
• All inspections by our own Isle of Man surveyors.
Merchant Ships >500GRT 433
(including 65 bulk carriers)
Commercial Yacht >24m 100

5. What happens next?
• Sent to UK for approval.
• Tynwald approval to become IOM law.
• Extended to us – needs UK to ratify first.
• Ist November 2012 Start inspections and issuing
certification.
• All inspections by our own Isle of Man surveyors.
Merchant Ships >500GRT 433
(including 65 bulk carriers)
Commercial Yacht >24m 100
•

6. New style
• Current maritime legislation is all prescriptive.
• MLC legislation will be goal based using the convention
requirements as the baseline.
• Isle of Man will produce guidance notes which if followed will
be accepted as meeting the IOM requirements.
• Shipowners can develop their own method of showing
compliance that may differ from our guidelines.
• This style will avoid the regulations being outdated by new
practices and technology.

7. Recognition of medical certificates
• The Isle of Man Ship Registry does not regulate medical practitioners, or
issue seafarer’s medical certificates.
• There are MCA registered medical practitioners on the Isle of Man who are
authorised to carry out medical examinations and issue medical certificates
to seafarers on the Isle of Man.
• The Ship Registry will accept medical certificates that have been issued in
accordance with one of the following conventions:
– Maritime Labour Convention 2006 (MLC);
– International Convention on Standards of Training, Certification and
Watchkeeping for Seafarers (STCW);
– ILO 73 Medical Examination (Seafarers) Convention, 1946;

8. Preventative occupational health
• Close links with 4.1 and 4.3
• 4.1 Health promotion and education – posters
and leaflets.
• 4.3 Occupational safety – prohibition for
young persons/risk assessments/health
surveillance/physical exposure to agents.
• Reporting of occupational diseases and
producing annual report.

9. MLC Definition of a Shipowner
“shipowner means the owner of the ship or another
organization or person, such as the manager, agent or
bareboat charterer, who has assumed the responsibility for
the operation of the ship from the owner and who, on
assuming such responsibility, has agreed to take over the
duties and responsibilities imposed on shipowners in
accordance with this Convention, regardless of whether
any other organization or persons fulfil certain of
the duties or responsibilities on behalf of the
shipowner”.

10. MLC Definition of a Seafarer
 From MLC, “A seafarer means any person, including the master,
who is employed, engaged or works in any capacity on board a
ship”.
 The 94th Maritime Session 2006 of the International Labour
Conference, developed Resolution VII concerning occupational
groups.
 The resolution gives flag states further guidance on who may be
and who may not be seafarers.

11. The Isle of Man has used the resolution to further define a seafarer.
The Isle of Man proposes that:
seafarers are also;
 Persons who regularly spend
more than short periods
aboard for example, repair and
maintenance squads and
specialist ship staff engaged to
work at sea on particular
ships. For example, riding
squads for chipping/painting
deck and ballast tanks.

12.  Seafarers are not:
 Those persons whose work is not part of the routine
business of the ship and whose principal place of work is
ashore, for example:
marine professionals such as harbour pilots, inspectors,
superintendents, scientists, researchers, divers and
specialist offshore technicians.
 Those persons working on a seagoing ship on an occasional
and short-term basis for example fitters, guest lecturers
and entertainers on passenger ships, repair technicians,
surveyors or port workers.

13. P & I coverage

14. Are we keeping our customers advised?
• Since November 2009 – Newsletters on our
policy ideas

15. MLC Seminar in February 2011

16. • Isle of Man Ship Registry Website

17. Guidance notes MLNs – model SEA

18. Thank you for listening