The meeting convened by the Secretary-General of IMO, Mr. William O’Neil, at IMO Headquarters on 22nd March 2002 has agreed that the approach currently being taken within IMO is the right one at this juncture but that more work needs to be done to prevent continuing losses. The meeting decided to exchange views on the current state of affairs, discuss measures currently under development and consider possible additional measures that should be taken to stem the continuing loss of bulk carriers and the seafarers who work on them.
The meeting reviewed a tabulated, chronological listing of the mandatory and recommendatory measures that have been taken so far, in particular since 1991, to enhance the safety of bulk carriers. Although appreciative of the wide array of measures developed by both IMO and IACS over the years would serve their purpose well, they were unanimous that more work had to be done to improve the situation. The meeting was briefed by the representatives of IACS about measures the Association had recently announced and, recognizing IACS’s contribution to the overall work to improve the safety of bulk carriers, invited them to continue to keep IMO informed of such initiatives so that action could be taken in a harmonized manner to the benefit of safety and the environment.