Fishing vessels and the International Guidelines for Safety Measures for Fishing Vessels of 24 m in length and over Operating in Polar Waters

In 2021, the IMO’s Maritime Safety Committee approved the Guidelines for safety measures for fishing vessels of 24m in length and over operating in polar waters. It is important that these Guidelines now be followed by CCAMLR Members. In addition to the development of these guidelines, the IMO has further considered the development of mandatory regulations concerning navigation and voyage planning and the mandatory marking of fishing gear and the reporting of lost or discharged fishing gear. ASOC encourages CCAMLR to take note of these recent developments. Furthermore, ASOC calls on CCAMLR and CCAMLR Members to:

• Make the new Guidelines for safety measures for fishing vessels of 24m in length and over operating in polar waters available on CCAMLR’s website;
• Adopt a CCAMLR Resolution requiring the use of the new Guidelines by CCAMLR fishing vessels;
• Support the approval and adoption of mandatory navigation and voyage planning measures for fishing vessels over 24m in length by the IMO, including the entry into force date of 1 January 2026;
• Make available relevant experience in the implementation of the Polar Code and support the need for further consideration of shipping safety and environmental protection in the polar regions; and
• Contribute to the IMO’s work to ensure that a regulation is included in MARPOL Annex V on the marking of fishing gear and efforts to progress and finalise the work on mandatory reporting mechanisms for accidentally lost or discharged fishing gear.