imo and the safety of fishing vessels: past, present and future

standards and the determination of minimum mandatory requirements for each class of small fishing vessel,
with due regard to operational circumstances.
The IMO Regional Workshop on the Safety of Indigenous Fishing Vessels in the Caribbean held in
Saint Lucia, 7-10 December 2004 agreed, in Recommendation 4, that the requirements for open vessels of
less than 10 m in length given in the Schedule to the Model Shipping (Safety of Small Fishing and Pleasure
Vessels) Regulations, 2002, should be used as the basis for developing minimum standards for the safety of
fishing vessels of less than 12 m in length, for circulation under the region. In this regard, the IMO should draft
the minimum standards taking into account the recommendations of Group 5, for circulation in the region.
10.2.- The Need for a new Instrument addressing smaller Fishing Vessels
International safety standards for fishing vessels already in place do not apply to small vessels under 12
meters in length. As a recapitulation, they are the following:
1. The 1993 Torremolinos Protocol relating to the Torremolinos International Convention for the Safety of
Fishing Vessels, 1977. The Protocol applies to decked fishing vessels of 24 m in length and over, but
certain chapters are not applicable to vessels of less than 45 m in length. On the basis of Articles 3(4)
and 3(5) of the Protocol and in order to apply uniform standards to vessels of 24 m in length and over,
not covered by the Protocol, the following regional standards have been developed and
communicated to IMO:
• Guidelines for the safety of fishing vessels of 24 m and over but less than 45 m in length
operating in the East and South-East Asia region, adopted at a Conference in Tokyo in
February 1997; and
• European regional agreement applicable from 1 January 1999. The European legislation
introducing a harmonized safety regime for fishing vessels of 24 m in length and over was
adopted in December 1997 and is entirely based upon the 1993 Torremolinos Protocol.
2. The FAO/ILO/IMO Code of Safety for Fishermen and Fishing Vessels, 2005. The Code, which was
approved by MSC 79, is divided into two parts. Part A on the safety and health practice applies to all
fishing vessels while Part B on the safety and health requirements for the construction and equipment
of fishing vessels applies for decked fishing vessels of 24 m in length and over.
3. The FAO/ILO/IMO Voluntary Guidelines for the Design, Construction and Equipment of Small Fishing
Vessels, 2005. The Guidelines, which were approved by MSC 79, apply to decked fishing vessels of
12 m in length and over but less than 24 m in length.
The foregoing strongly suggested the need for safety standards for small fishing vessels.
The purpose of such standards would be to provide information on design, construction and equipment of
decked fishing vessels of less than 12 m in length and undecked vessels of any size.
Such standards may serve as a guide to those framing national laws and regulations relating to these
subjects. The primary users of the standards would, therefore, be those competent authorities which intend to
upgrade their national laws and regulations. In order to serve these users:
1. The document should be user-friendly, consisting of a comprehensive set of guidelines concerning the
safety of fishing vessels and their crews.
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