Belfast Harbor Commissioners (BHC) has appointed ABPmer as its Designated Person under the requirements of the Department for Transport’s Port Marine Safety Code (PMSC).
Belfast Harbor is a Trust Port and Northern Ireland's principal maritime gateway, handling around 24 million tonnes of goods each year. BHC is the Statutory Harbor Authority, Local Lighthouse Authority and the Competent Harbor Authority for the waters of Belfast Harbor Pilotage Area.
The Code states that a ‘Designated Person’ must be appointed to provide independent assurance about the operations of the marine safety management system. This assurance is required by the Duty Holder, who is accountable for compliance with the Code.
Maurice Bullick, Belfast Harbor's Finance and Compliance Director, said, “As a Statutory Harbor Authority, Belfast Harbor has a clear emphasis on delivering safe marine operations. With ‘Safety’ identified as a corporate value, assurance auditing forms an integral part of our safety management system; and we are pleased to be working with ABPmer as our independent Designated Person to deliver on our safety focus.”
Monty Smedley, Head of Maritime at ABPmer said, “We are very pleased to be appointed by Belfast Harbour Commissioners as their Designated Person. Belfast Harbour handles around 70% of Northern Ireland’s seaborne trade and enables essential passenger ferry services. We look forward to providing Designated Person services in support of port marine safety assurance.”
ABPmer commenced the role as Designated Person at Belfast Harbor in September 2021.