The Directorate General of Shipping (DGS) on December 08, 2023, issued a circular regarding the Casualty Investigation Code and its applicability.
The International Convention on Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS), 1974, International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships (MARPOL), United Nations Convention on Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), International Convention on Load Lines, 1966, Maritime Labour Convention (MLC), 2006, Casualty Investigation Code, 2008.
The above-mentioned Conventions are ratified by India and Section 359 of the Merchant Shipping Act 1958, as amended mandates the conduct of preliminary inquiry into any shipping casualty as defined in Section 358 Merchant Shipping Act 1958, as amended.
Given the foregoing, it is hereby to state that to enforce the aforesaid requirements about the conduct of investigations under the abovementioned Conventions, which have been ratified by India, the Shipping Casualty as defined in Section 358 of the Merchant Shipping Act 1958, as amended, is to also include casualties under the above mentioned Conventions. Further, it is now mandated that findings and lessons learned, after the conduct of preliminary inquiry of shipping casualties are to be issued as DGS Circulars and are also to be uploaded on GISIS to comply with reporting requirements to IMO.
The SOPs for the conduct of investigations and inquiries are attached as Annexure - I for compliance.
Kindly find the Annexure attached to the document below.
[DGS Order: 20 of 2023]
