1.1 These Guidelines have been developed to assist
in the preparation of Shipboard Emergency Plans for Ships carrying
Materials Subject to the INF Code (‘‘Plan(s)’’).
These Guidelines were developed as part of the work assigned by the
Assembly regarding the review and amendment of the INF
Code, particularly in view of paragraph 27 of the Code. The
Plan(s) should be approved in accordance with the Code.
Definitions for the purpose of these Guidelines
1.2
Incident means any occurrence
or series of occurrences, including loss of container integrity, having
the same origin which results or may result in a release, or probable
cargo release of INF Code materials.
1.3
Shipboard Emergency Plan or Plan means a document that is tailored to a particular ship carrying INF Code materials and contains the procedures to
be followed to ensure shipboard preparedness for responding to emergencies.
1.4
Release means the escape of INF Code materials from its containment system or
the loss of an INF Code package.
1.5 The Guidelines are comprised of three sections:
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.1 Introduction: This section provides a general
overview of the subject matter and introduces the reader to the basic
concept of the Guidelines and the Plans that are expected to be developed
from them.
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.2 Essential provisions: This section provides
those elements that should, at a minimum, be included in a Plan.
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.3 Additional provisions: This section provides
guidance concerning the inclusion of other information in the Plan.
Such information may be required by local authorities in ports visited
by the ship, or it may be added to provide additional assistance to
the ship’s master when responding to an emergency situation.
The section also provides guidance on updating and training and exercises
to test the plan.
Concept of the Guidelines
1.6 The Guidelines are intended to provide a starting
point for the preparation of specific Shipboard Emergency Plans for
each ship engaged in transporting INF Code materials.
Plan writers are cautioned that they should consider in their Plans
the many variables that apply to their ships. Some of these variables
include: type and size of ship, category of INF Code materials
and their physical properties, route, and shore-based management structure.
The Guidelines are not intended to be a compilation of menu items
from which the Plan writer can select certain sections and produce
a workable Plan, but rather a process to ensure preparedness for responding
to emergencies. For a Plan to be effective, it should be carefully
tailored to the particular ship for which it is intended. Properly
used, the Guidelines will ensure that all appropriate issues are considered
in developing the Plan.
1.7 The Plan is intended to assist personnel in
avoiding the further escalation of an incident and in dealing with
an actual or potential release of INF Code materials.
Its primary purpose is to set in motion the necessary actions to avoid
or minimize a release and to mitigate its effects. Regardless of the
magnitude of an incident, effective planning ensures that the necessary
actions are taken in a structured, logical, safe, and timely manner.
1.8 The Plan should provide for small or routine
emergencies. However, it should also include guidance to assist the
master in meeting the demands of a large-scale incident, should the
ship become involved in one.
1.9 The need for a predetermined and properly
structured Plan is clear when one considers the pressures and multiple
tasks facing personnel confronted with an emergency situation. In
the heat of the moment, lack of proper planning will often result
in confusion, mistakes, and failure to advise key people. Delays will
be incurred and time will be wasted, time during which the situation
may well worsen. As a consequence, the ship, its personnel, and the
public may be exposed to increasing hazards, and greater environmental
damage may result.
1.10 Shipboard emergency plans should be realistic,
practical, and easy to use. They should be understood by ship management
personnel, both on board and ashore, and be evaluated, reviewed, and
updated regularly.
1.11 The Plan is envisioned as a simple document.
Use of summarizing flow-charts or checklists to guide the master through
the various actions and decisions required during an incident response
is highly encouraged. These can provide a quickly visible and logically
sequenced form of information which can reduce error and oversight
during emergency situations. Inclusion of extensive background information
on the ship or cargo should be avoided, as this is generally available
elsewhere. If such information is relevant, it should be kept in annexes
where it will not make it more difficult for ship personnel to locate
operative parts of the Plan.
1.12 An example of a summarizing flow-chart referred
to in 1.11 is included in appendix I.
1.13 Also, since the Plan is intended to be a
document used on board by master and officers of the ship, it is imperative
that one copy in the language understood by crew members with responsibilities
under the Plan, as well as an English copy, is carried on board. A
change in the master and officers which brings about an attendant
change in their working languages would require the issuance of the
Plan in the new language.
Responsibilities for action
1.14 Responsibilities for preparing and dealing
with a marine transport incident involving INF Code materials
are generally divided among several entities: Governments, organizations,
and persons. The severity, or potential severity, of the incident
in terms of its consequences typically would determine the level of
response and involvement of these entities.
1.15 The consignor or shipper is responsible for
ensuring that before the transport of INF Code material,
carriers are made fully aware of the procedures to be followed, both
on board the ship and by shore-based organizations, in the event of
an incident involving such materials. It is the responsibility of
the consignor or shipper to know and comply with all applicable international,
national, state, or local regulations or guidelines pertaining to
the shipment of INF Code materials, and how
to deal with all the potential difficulties anticipated when shipping
by sea. In addition, the consignor should make available to the carrier
the appropriate technical information, emergency instructions, and
notification information. Generally, the consignor should be prepared
to assist in an emergency response to an incident involving any INF Code materials by providing timely and detailed
information about shipments and to send immediately emergency response/support
assets to an incident site, if required. The planning for such assistance
should be complementary to the Plan.
1.16 The carrier also has responsibilities both
for safety during transport and in the event of an incident. In general,
both the carrier and the consignor should be prepared to respond immediately
to an incident involving INF Code materials.
The carrier also has the responsibility to know and comply with all
applicable regulations pertaining to the carriage of INF
Code materials. This may include being informed of the different
response procedures in all areas along the route; ensuring that if
an incident occurs, it is properly and rapidly assessed by people
knowledgeable in responding to incidents involving INF
Code material; ensuring that proper emergency instructions
are carried on board the ship; facilitating a prompt response by the
consignor/shipper and crew in the event of an incident; and ensuring
that all required notifications are accomplished in an expeditious
manner. Specifically, carrier personnel should ensure that they immediately
inform the nearest coastal State, the consignor, and other appropriate
authorities and act according to the Plan.
1.17 Distribution of the Plan should be as follows:
– the shipowner and operator should both keep a copy of
the Plan and ensure that at least one copy is carried on board.
1.18 The Plan should clearly emphasize the following:
– Without interfering with shipowners’ liability,
some coastal States consider that it is their responsibility to define
techniques and means to be taken against a marine pollution incident
and approve such operations which might cause further pollution. States
are in general entitled to do so under the International Convention
relating to Intervention on the High Seas in Cases of Oil Pollution
Casualties, 1969 and the Protocol relating to Intervention on the
High Seas in Cases of Pollution by Substances other than Oil, 1973.
1.19 Planning for incidents involving INF Code materials should be approached as part of a process
which also includes the emergency response plans of local authorities
and organizations. As noted in 1.15 above, the carriers are to be
made fully aware of the international, national, state and local regulations
pertaining to the shipment of INF Code materials
and potential difficulties anticipated when shipping by sea by the
consignor or shipper.
1.20 The content of each Plan should be determined
by a consideration of the type of ship used for transporting INF Code materials, the packages used for transport,
and the potential consequences of related transport incidents. Appendix
II provides additional sources of information that may be useful in
developing a Plan.
1.21 A shipowner or operator with multiple ships
may prepare one plan with a separate ship-specific annex for each
ship covered by the Plan and a separate geographic-specific appendix
for each coastal State in which the ship(s) operate.