ISU Malta meeting recommends casualty management guidelines

Over 50 international marine salvage experts were in Malta for the 54th annual general meeting of their trade association, the International Salvage Union (ISU).

At the meeting, the ISU members, who are responsible for over 90 per cent of all global salvage activity, discussed several 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) Guidelines has been on ISU's agenda 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 next year.

"There is existing International Maritime Organisation (IMO) guidance on the issue of places of refuge," ISU president Arnold Witte said. "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."

The ISU (www.marine-salvage.com) each year chooses a major maritime state to host its meeting, and this year Malta was selected after an invitation by one of the ISU's longstanding members, Tug Malta Ltd.

The ISU member salvors provide essential services for the world's maritime and insurance communities. Members are engaged in marine casualty response, pollution defence, wreck removal, cargo recovery, towage and related activities.