Governments and port states must co-operate in regulation and operation of vital shore-based services, besides establishing uniform standards and procedures for inspecting vessels, a ship management executive says.
Giorgio Sulser, chief executive of Acomarit Services Maritimes, said the authorities also should co-operate in charting passage channels and tides to meet the demands of huge vessels for proper and adequate reception facilities.
'None of this is in place despite a large number of serious accidents in the United States, in particular, involving pilots and a string of government inquiries,' Mr Sulser told the Intertanko 25th anniversary conference.
The pursuit of better facilities and standards of training and certification should be by all governments and not just by the International Maritime Organisation (IMO), he said.
'Cadet berths on ships have been falling over the years. Many governments appear unwilling or unready to invest in training schools,' Mr Sulser said.
He said his company had invested heavily in recruitment and training of seamen despite low charter rates.
