Hong Kong, China achieves outstanding results in International Maritime Organization Member State Audit Scheme
The International Maritime Organization (IMO) conducted an audit on Hong Kong, China under the IMO Member State Audit Scheme (IMSAS) to examine the relevant obligations fulfilled by Hong Kong, China in relation to the mandatory IMO instruments. The recently published results showed the outstanding performance by Hong Kong, China in multiple audit areas.
A spokesperson for the Transport and Logistics Bureau said, "The IMSAS audit result testifies to Hong Kong, China's commitment to go above and beyond in fulfilling our international obligations. As an associate member of the IMO, we will continue to maintain our outstanding performance and consolidate our position as a leading international maritime centre.
"One of the highlights of the audit results is that our shipping registry was commended by the IMO. The Hong Kong Shipping Registry ranks fourth in the world in terms of gross tonnage, and the fleet of Hong Kong-registered ships is renowned globally for its good quality. The consistently low detention rate of Hong Kong-registered ships under worldwide Port State Control inspections at 0.69 per cent is significantly lower than the global average of 3.30 per cent, reflecting our constant effort in maintaining and enhancing the safety, reliability and credibility of our fleet."
The audit, which was carried out from November 4 to 13, 2023, scrutinised Hong Kong, China in fulfilling its flag, coastal and port obligations. The Audit Team appreciated that Hong Kong, China had well-documented procedures on fulfilling its obligations related to the mandatory IMO instruments, and implemented the relevant requirements through local legislation and guidance dissemination in a timely manner. The Marine Department (MD) also carried out periodic management reviews as well as internal and external audits for effective implementation of those instruments.
The audit further revealed several areas of positive development and good practices of Hong Kong, China, which demonstrated a drive to promote safety awareness and a pollution prevention culture among stakeholders in the maritime sector. One of the good practices is to ensure the compliance of ships flying the flag of Hong Kong, China with the mandatory IMO instruments by requiring their regular and appropriate completion of pre-arrival checklists. The MD also disseminated useful information through such means as holding regular meetings and seminars with stakeholders, and issuing circulars and Merchant Shipping Information Notes to notify stakeholders of the latest mandatory IMO requirements in a timely manner.
The performance of Hong Kong, China in this audit was outstanding, outperforming other IMO members audited. The audit only identified two findings and one observation on areas where Hong Kong, China could improve, including the need to more comprehensively monitor the communication of mandatory information to the IMO and track the attendance of government surveyors at trainings. By comparison, an average of 16 findings and two observations were found per audit from 82 member audits conducted by the IMO from 2016 to 2022. Soon after the audit, the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government proposed and took actions, which were accepted by the IMO, to address the findings and observation.
The audit report has been published on the websites of the IMO and the MD (www.mardep.gov.hk/en/materials-and-publications/publications/reports/reports-of-marine-department/index.html).
