ISU members meet in Malta

Over 50 marine salvage experts from around the world were in Malta last week for the 54th annual general meeting of their trade association, the International Salvage Union (ISU). The ISU each year chooses a major maritime state to host its meeting, and this year the members chose Malta following an invitation by one of the ISU's longstanding members, Tug Malta Ltd. The choice of Malta as a venue for this important meeting underlines the importance of the country in the shipping world.

During this meeting, the ISU members (who are responsible for well over 90 per cent of all global salvage activity) discussed a number of issues and made a key decision to produce a set of guidelines for the management of ships in distress. These guidelines will assist governments, ship owners and managers, port authorities and other interests directly involved in ship salvage operations.

The production of best practice guidelines for Marine Casualty Management (MCM) has been on the agenda of ISU members for several years now. At their AGM in Malta, ISU members endorsed the project to complete guidelines for circulation and use by salvors, ship owners and coastal states worldwide. The guidelines will be completed in 2009.

Commenting on the initiative, ISU president Arnold Witte said: "There is existing International Maritime Organisation (IMO) guidance on the issue of places of refuge. There is also very general IMO guidance on issues relating to the control of ships in emergency situations. What is missing is specific, comprehensive guidance on best practice throughout the entire casualty management process. The MCM Guidelines will fill that gap and, in doing so, will sharpen and enhance marine emergency response capabilities worldwide. Our intention is to consult with our maritime industry partners when finalising the guidelines."