Shipping is perhaps the most international of all the

world's great industries and one of the most dangerous.

It has always been recognized that the best way of
improving safety at sea is by developing international
regulations that are followed by all shipping nations and
from the mid-19th century onwards a number of such
treaties were adopted. Several countries proposed that a
permanent international body should be established to
promote maritime safety more effectively, but it was not
until the establishment of the United Nations itself that
these hopes were realized. In 1948 an international
conference in Geneva adopted a convention formally
establishing IMO .
 It was established by means of a Convention adopted
under the auspices of the United Nations in Geneva on
17 March 1948 and met for the first time in January
1959. It currently has 157 Member States.

 The International Maritime Organization is a specialized

agency of the United Nations which is responsible for
measures to improve the safety of international and to
prevent marine pollution from ships. It also is involved in
legal matters, including liability and compensation issues
and the facilitation of international maritime traffic.
 Maritime Transport is a critical
infrastructure for the social and
economic development of a country.

 The Dept. of Shipping encompasses

within its fold shipping and ports sectors
which include shipbuilding and ship
design and ship-repair, major ports,
national waterways, and inland water
transport.

 Dept. of Shipping has been entrusted

with the responsibility to formulate
policies and programmes on these
subjects and their implementation.
 ADDITIONAL
SECRETARY
(FINANCE)

SECRETARY
(SHIPPING) ASST. UNDER
DEP. FINANCIAL
FINANCIAL SECRETARY
ADVISER
ADVISER (BUDGET)
JOINT JOINT DEVELOPMENT
SECRETARY SECRETARY ADVISER
(SHIPPING) (PORTS) (PORTS)

ACCOUNTS

CHIEF
CONTROLLER OF
ACCOUNTS
 Subordinate/Attached Offices

 Directorate General of Shippinq. Mumbal

 Andaman & Lakshadweep Harbour Works. Port Blair.
 Directorate General of Lighthouses & Lightships, New Delhi.
 Minor Ports Survey Organisation, Mumbai

 Autonomous Bodies
 Kolkata Paradip Visakhapatnam Chennai Tuticorin Cochin New
Mangalore Mormugao , Mumbai Jawaharlal Nehru (Nhava
Seheva) Kandla port trust
 Dock Labour Boards at Calcutta, Kandla, and Visakhapatnam.
 Inland Waterways Authority of India, Noida.
 Tariff Authority for Major Ports, New Delhi.
 Seamen's Provident Fund Organisation, Mumbai
 CSL and Hoogly works

 Societies/Associations
 National Institute of Port Management, Chennai
 Indian Institute of Port Management, Calcutta.
 Indian Maritime University.
 The Director General of Shipping is a statutory authority appointed
under the Merchant Shipping Act, 1958 and is responsible for
implementation of the provision of the Act, The Directorate
ensures implementation of various international Conventions
relating to safety requirements for prevention of oil pollution and
other mandatory requirements of International Maritime
Organisation.

 Following are the allied and subordinate offices of Director

General of Shipping.
 (i) Mercantile Marine Departments at Mumbai, Calcutta, Chennai,
Jamnagar, Mormugao, Port Blair, Cochin, Tuticorin and
Visakhapatnam.
 (ii) Seamen's Employment Offices at Mumbai, Calcutta and
Chennai.
 (Hi) Shipping Office at Mumbai and Calcutta.
The Mercantile Marine Department was set up in 1929 to implement the first
SOLAS Convention and load Line Conventions. This Department was working
directly under the Ministry till the establishment of the Directorate General of
Shipping at Mumbai in 1949. The main objectives of MMDs are to administer
the various Merchant Shipping Laws and rules relating to safety of ships and
life at sea, registration of ships, tonnage measurement, crew accommodation,
surveys for load line, safety construction, prevention of pollution, inquiries into
shipping casualties and wrecks, surveys of passenger ships, radio equipments
onboard, inspection and approval of statutory equipments for life saving and
fire fighting appliances, wireless telegraphy, Global Maritime Distress and
Safety Systems, navigational aids, pollution prevention equipments,
supervision of repairs and construction of ships on behalf of State and Central
Govt. Organisations, Port State Control inspection, examination and
certification of various grades of Certificates of competency under MS Act and
I.V. Act etc
 SOLAS
The International Convention for the Safety of Life at
Sea (SOLAS) is the most important treaty protecting the
safety of merchant ships. The first version of the treaty was
passed in 1914 in response to the sinking of the RMS Titanic.

It prescribed numbers of lifeboats and other emergency

equipment along with safety procedures, including continuous
radio watches.

Newer versions were adopted in 1929, 1948, 1960 and 1974.

In particular, amendments in 1992 replaced Morse code

with the Global Maritime Distress and Safety System (GMDSS),
beginning in 1999.
Chapter I - General Provisions
Includes regulations concerning the survey of the various types of
ships and the issuing of documents signifying that the ship meets the
requirements of the Convention. The Chapter also includes provisions
for the control of ships in ports of other Contracting Governments.

Chapter II-1 - Construction - Subdivision and stability,

machinery and electrical installations
The subdivision of passenger ships into watertight compartments
must be such that after assumed damage to the ship's hull the vessel
will remain afloat and stable. Requirements for watertight integrity
and bilge pumping arrangements for passenger ships are also laid
down as well as stability requirements for both passenger and cargo
ships.

Chapter II-2 - Fire protection, fire detection and fire

extinction
Includes detailed fire safety provisions for all ships and specific
measures for passenger ships, cargo ships and tankers.
Chapter III - Life-saving appliances and arrangements
includes requirements for life-saving appliances and
arrangements, including requirements for life boats, rescue boats
and life jackets according to type of ship.
Chapter IV – Radio Communications
The Chapter incorporates the Global Maritime Distress and
Safety System (GMDSS). All passenger ships and all cargo ships
of 300 gross tonnage and upwards on international voyages are
required to carry equipment designed to improve the chances of
rescue following an accident, including satellite emergency
position indicating radio beacons (EPIRBs) and search and rescue
transponders (SARTs) for the location of the ship or survival
craft.
Chapter V - Safety of navigation
Identifies certain navigation safety services which should be
provided by Contracting Governments and sets forth provisions
of an operational nature applicable in general to all ships on all
voyages.
Chapter VI - Carriage of Cargoes
The Chapter covers all types of cargo (except liquids and
gases in bulk) "which, owing to their particular hazards to ships
or persons on board, may require special precautions".

Chapter VII - Carriage of dangerous goods

It refers to the mandatory responsibility to adopt procedures
to handling dangerous goods onboard.

Chapter VIII - Nuclear ships

Gives basic requirements for nuclear-powered ships and is
particularly concerned with radiation hazards.

Chapter IX - Management for the Safe Operation of Ships

The Chapter makes mandatory the International Safety
Management (ISM) Code, which requires a safety management
system to be established by the ship owner or any person who
has assumed responsibility for the ship (the "Company").
Chapter X - Safety measures for high-speed craft
The Chapter makes mandatory the International Code of Safety
for High-Speed Craft (HSC Code).

Chapter XI-1 - Special measures to enhance maritime

safety
The Chapter clarifies requirements relating to authorization of
recognized organizations (responsible for carrying out surveys
and inspections on Administrations' behalves); enhanced
surveys; ship identification number scheme; and port State
control on operational requirements.

Chapter XI-2 - Special measures to enhance maritime

security
The Chapter was adopted in December 2002 and entered into
force on 1 July 2004. Regulation XI-2/3 of the new chapter
enshrines the International Ship and Port Facilities Security Code
(ISPS Code)
Chapter XII - Additional safety measures for bulk carriers
The Chapter includes structural requirements for bulk carriers
over 150 metres in length.
 MARPOL Convention
MARPOL 73/78 (short for marine pollution and the years 1973
and 1978) is an abbreviated form of the Protocol of 1978
Relating to the International Convention for the
Prevention of Pollution From Ships, 1973. It is also known
as Ship Pollution protocol.
It was adopted on 2 November 1973 at IMO and covered
pollution by oil, chemicals, harmful substances in packaged
form, sewage and garbage. The Protocol of 1978 relating to
the 1973 International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution
from Ships (1978 MARPOL Protocol) was adopted at a
Conference on Tanker Safety and Pollution Prevention in
February 1978 held in response to a spate of tanker accidents in
1976-1977.
The Convention includes regulations aimed at preventing and
minimizing pollution from ships - both accidental pollution and that
from routine operations - and currently includes six technical
Annexes:

Annex I Regulations for the Prevention of Pollution by Oil

Annex II Regulations for the Control of  Pollution by Noxious

Liquid Substances in Bulk

Annex III Prevention of Pollution by Harmful Substances

Carried by Sea in Packaged Form

Annex IV Prevention of Pollution by Sewage from Ships

Annex V Prevention of Pollution by Garbage from Ships

Annex VI Prevention of  Air Pollution from Ships (entry into

force 19 May 2005)States Parties must accept Annexes I and II, but
the other Annexes are voluntary.
History of MARPOL 73/78
Oil pollution of the seas was recognized as a problem in the first half of
the 20th century and various countries introduced national regulations to
control discharges of oil within their territorial waters.
In 1954, the United Kingdom organized a conference on oil pollution
which resulted in the adoption of the International Convention for the
Prevention of Pollution of the Sea by Oil (OILPOL), 1954. Following
entry into force of the IMO Convention in 1958, the depository and
Secretariat functions in relation to the Convention were transferred from the
United Kingdom Government to IMO. 
   In 1962, IMO adopted amendments to the Convention which extended its
application to ships of a lower tonnage and also extended the "prohibited
zones". Amendments adopted in 1969 contained regulations to further
restrict operational discharge of oil from oil tankers and from machinery
spaces of all ships.
    Finally, an international Conference in 1973 adopted the International
Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships. While it was
recognized that accidental pollution was spectacular, the Conference
considered that operational pollution was still the bigger threat. As a result,
the 1973 Convention incorporated much of OILPOL 1954 and its amendments
into Annex I, covering oil.
 MARPOL Convention
In 1978, in response to a spate of tanker
accidents in 1976-1977, IMO held a Conference
on Tanker Safety and Pollution Prevention in
February 1978. The conference adopted
measures affecting tanker design and operation,
which were incorporated into both the Protocol of
1978 relating to the 1974 Convention on the
Safety of Life at Sea (1978 SOLAS Protocol) and
the Protocol of 1978 relating to the 1973
International Convention for the Prevention of
Pollution from Ships (1978 MARPOL Protocol) -
adopted on 17 February 1978.
International Convention on Load Lines
Introduction and history
It has long been recognized that limitations on the draught to
which a ship may be loaded make a significant contribution to
her safety. These limits are given in the form of freeboards,
which constitute, besides external weather tight and watertight
integrity, the main objective of the Convention.

The first International Convention on Load Lines, adopted in

1930, was based on the principle of reserve buoyancy, although
it was recognized then that the freeboard should also ensure
adequate stability and avoid excessive stress on the ship's hull
as a result of overloading.

In the 1966 Load Lines convention, adopted by IMO, provisions

are made determining the freeboard of tankers by subdivision
and damage stability calculations.
International Convention on Load Lines
The regulations take into account the potential hazards present
in different zones and different seasons. The technical annex
contains several additional safety measures concerning doors,
freeing ports, hatchways and other items. The main purpose of
these measures is to ensure the watertight integrity of ships'
hulls below the freeboard deck.

All assigned load lines must be marked amidships on each side

of the ship, together with the deck line. Ships intended for the
carriage of timber deck cargo are assigned a smaller freeboard
as the deck cargo provides protection against the impact of
waves
International Convention on Load Lines

Load Lines 1966 - Annexes

The Convention includes Annex I, divided into four
Chapters:
· Chapter I - General;
· Chapter II - Conditions of assignment of freeboard;
· Chapter III - Freeboards;
· Chapter IV - Special requirements for ships assigned
timber freeboards.·
Annex II covers Zones, areas and seasonal periods.
Annex III contains certificates, including the
International Load Line Certificate.
International Convention on Load Lines

Amendments 1971, 1975, 1979, 1983

The 1966 Convention provided for amendments to
be made by positive acceptance.
· the 1971 amendments - to make certain
improvements to the text and to the chart of zones
and seasonal areas;
· the 1975 amendments - to introduce the principle
of 'tacit acceptance' into the Convention;
· the 1979 amendments - to make some alterations
to zone boundaries off the coast of Australia; and
· the 1983 amendments - to extend the summer and
tropical zones southward off the coast of Chile.
 Tonnage Convention
International Convention on Tonnage Measurement of Ships, 1969
Introduction
The Convention, adopted by IMO in 1969, was the first successful attempt
to introduce a universal tonnage measurement system.

Previously, various systems were used to calculate the tonnage of merchant

ships. Although all went back to the method devised by George Moorsom of
the British Board of Trade in 1854, there were considerable differences
between them and it was recognized that there was a great need for one
single international system.

The Convention provides for gross and net tonnages, both of which are
calculated independently.

The rules apply to all ships built on or after 18 July 1982 - the date of entry
into force - while ships built before that date were allowed to retain their
existing tonnage for 12 years after entry into force, or until 18 July 1994
 Tonnage Convention

Gross tons and net tons

The Convention meant a transition from the traditionally used terms
gross register tons (GRT) and net register tons (NRT) to gross tons
(GT) and net tons (NT).

Gross tonnage forms the basis for manning regulations, safety rules
and registration fees. Both gross and net tonnages are used to
calculate port dues.

The gross tonnage is a function of the moulded volume of all enclosed

spaces of the ship. The net tonnage is produced by a formula which is
a function of the moulded volume of all cargo spaces of the ship. The
net tonnage shall not be taken as less than 30 per cent of the gross
tonnage.
 Tonnage Convention
Canal Tonnage
Vessels that transit the Panama canal & the Suez canal are
measured according to the rules of respective canal authorities
which are referred to as canal rules.
 REFERENCES
 Ship Design and Construction – T
Lamb, 2004, Vol I and II
 Merchant Ship Construction- DA
Taylor, 1980
 www.imo.org
 www.shipping.in