MARITIME REGULATIONS: INT’L STANDARDS WANTED Adjusting to business environment changes, Faroe Agency pushes for improved contingency planning in the Faroe Islands, awaiting new legislation on marine pollution and liability in cases of accidents.
Faroe Agency
PO Box 270, FO-110 Tórshavn www.faroeagency.fo E-Mail: faroeagency@faroeagency.fo Tel.: +298 351990 Fax: +298 351991 Managing director: Árni Dam, Honorary Consul of Russia Shipping agency, ship management company; specializing in serving vessels calling at Faroese ports. Manning, technical management, forwarding, chartering, operations management, representation. All types of ship calls—freighters, tankers, support vessels, fishing vessels. Arrangements for supplies, bunkering, repairs, health care, safety related issues.
at the same time be prepared in case, God forbid, the worst should happen.” WHEN IT COMES to shipping and re- shipping agency, he sees it as his obligation lated safety measures, environmental pro- to try to help improve the situation. tection, contingency planning, and emer-
Referring to arrangements in e.g. Shetland and Norway, Mr. Reynheim said
In a bid to reform the current legis- that specific routes for large marine vessels
gency management, Faroe Agency partner
lation on marine pollution, the Ministry
must be mapped out with access to remain-
Karl-Erik Reynheim is exceedingly clear
of the Interior submitted a new directive
ing areas restricted.
about his views: the Faroe Islands urgently
proposal to hearing in early March.
needs to upgrade.
“The combination of bad weather
Said Mr. Reynheim: “I worked for
and large ships close to shore is dangerous,
Together with officials from the Faro- many years in international shipping for
whether it’s laden tankers or cruise liners
ese Government, Mr. Reynheim is push- a major oil company and it was a serious
carrying passengers. We need to set limits
ing for a series of maritime regulations, the
learning experience when the Amoco Ca- regarding how close to the coastline such
first of which are forthcoming as pollution
diz oil spill happened. They then intro- vessels are allowed and along which routes
incidents occurring in connection with
duced a safety management policy which
they may sail. Also, we need legal provi-
bunkering become subject to more clearly
since resulted in the best accident statistics
sions and an adequate rescue infrastructure
defined rules.
among the top international oil companies
to be able to seize control of a vessel should
Mr. Reynheim said that as a profes- in the world. They would never be associ- that be necessary in the face of potential sional working for the country’s leading
ated with disasters without being able to
danger.”
prove afterwards that they had done ev-
As for regulation of emissions, Mr.
erything in their power to prevent it from
Reynheim said the Faroes should consider
happening.
ratifying EU Directive 2005/33/EC to
“This mentality has long been setting
limit the amount of sulfur content in ma-
the agenda in the world of shipping and it’s
rine fuel. Standard requirements regarding
very important for the Faroe Islands to up- pilotage and towage likewise need to be grade its maritime regulations accordingly. Faroe Agency managing director Árni Dam. Top: from left to right, Sergey Lutov, Karl-Erik Reynheim, Maria í Akrabyrgi, Alexander Kuzkin.
formulated, he added.
We want a competitive maritime sector and
“We’ve already had a few minor inci-
no disasters, so it’s our responsibility to
dents and these should be seen as lessons.
take all possible preventive measures and
It’s time we take action now.” Faroe Business Report 2010 •
59