HUMAN FACTORS UNDERLYING THE EFFECTIVE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE IMO CONVENTIONS

Attention is drawn to some of the difficulties faced by the masters and crews of ships as the direct result of regulations that are either not fully evaluated beforehand or that stop short of their ultimate objective.The author targets the subject of reception facilities and the way in which some ports still pay no more than lip service to this cornerstone requirement of MARPOL 73/78. Note is also taken of difficulties with the Safe Manning Certificate required by the IMO's Convention on Standards of Training, Certification and Watchkeeping (STCW). Attention is also given to the problem of fatigue in marine transportation, a question that the author states is ignored by the law.