Tripartite Meeting Draws Industry Cooperation

The annual Tripartite meeting between shipowners, shipbuilders and classification societies was held in Shanghai October 30-31, 2014. The meeting was attended by industry representatives including the chairman of Intercargo John Platsidakis, the chairman of IACS Philippe Donche-Gay, the chairman of ICS Masamichi Morooka, the president of BIMCO John Denholm, the chairman of INTERTANKO Graham Westgarth and the chairman of CESS Hiroshi Iwamoto.

The meeting, which was organized this year by Intercargo and CCS, agreed that, in the ongoing market downturn, quality was paramount and must be maintained by continuous enhancement of shipbuilding standards, classification survey standards and ship operating procedures.

A comprehensive agenda was discussed over the two-day event that identified the need:

• for IT software used on board to be appropriately verified for reliability and effectiveness as part of the certification process prior to use;
• for the improved recording of data on incidents and accidents to facilitate the development and use of the ‘Big Data’ concept as a contribution to risk modeling;
• to share experiences of what is achievable to improve the efficiency of ships, and to share information and experience on the installation and operation of ballast water treatment systems.

The meeting also recognized the importance of continuing to facilitate the development of technological innovation that had the potential to improve safety and efficiency.

Intercargo Chairman John Platsidakis chaired the meeting and said in his closing remarks, “It was a great honor to chair the annual Tripartite meeting this year. The debate was wide ranging, and it was good to hear the views of the different sectors being discussed in such an open and friendly manner. It is very important to continue cooperation between the Tripartite organizations and explore potential solutions to many of the problems and concerns we encounter in our industry.”