Abstract
This study investigates the probabilities of vessel safety and pollution inspections by type of vessel by the US Coast Guard based upon individual vessel inspections for the years 1992–2001. Probit estimates of vessel safety (versus pollution) inspection equations suggest that fishing, passenger, recreation and tug boats are less (more) likely to be inspected for safety (pollution), whereas tank barges and US flag vessels are more (less) likely to be inspected for safety (pollution). Also, vessel safety and pollution inspection probabilities by vessel type vary by Coast Guard district and time. The probability of a US flag vessel being inspected for safety has increased over the time period of the study. The results bring into question the effectiveness of the Coast Guard in reducing the oil-spill pollution of tank barges and improving the safety of fishing boats.
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Notes
The IMO was established in 1948 and today has 158 member countries. IMO conventions develop when a draft instrument is submitted at an IMO conference. The final text adopted by the conference, that is, the convention, is then submitted to member governments for their ratification. The convention is ratified (or comes into force) when a specified number of countries are signatories to the convention. Each ratifying country is obligated to enact the convention into national law (ie implementation is mandatory), thus standardizing the law among the ratifying countries.
Subsequently adopted safety conventions address the overloading of ships, ship traffic separation schemes, the use of space satellites to aid ship operation and its safety, the training of crews to promote ship safety, minimum certification standards for crews, and search and rescue operations.
The 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) defines high seas as ‘all parts of the sea that are not included in the exclusive economic zone, in the territorial sea or in the internal waters of a state’.
The 1973 International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships (MARPOL) addressed oil pollution as well as pollution from chemicals, other harmful substances, garbage and sewage. It requires the issuance of ship pollution inspection certificates, the adherence of ships to specific anti-pollution rules and the reporting of incidents involving harmful substances. The 1990 Convention on Oil Pollution Preparedness, Response and Cooperation enhanced the ability of countries to cope with sudden oil pollution emergencies such as those from tank ship accidents. For further discussion of IMO pollution and safety conventions, see Talley (2005). For a general discussion of maritime safety, see Talley (2002).
The Coast Guard 1st District covers the New England and New York Atlantic coast; the 2nd District covers the Midwest; the 5th District, the Mid-Atlantic coast (southern New Jersey to North Carolina); the 7th District, the southern Atlantic coast (South Carolina to Florida); the 8th District, the Gulf coast; the 9th District, the Great Lakes; the 11th District, the California coast; the 13th District, the Pacific Northwest coast; the 14th District, Hawaii; and the 17th District, Alaska.
Three MSMS data tables were merged to obtain the data set for this study. The three data tables are: Port Safety Resource Supplement Table (brst), Boarding Report Identification Table (brit) and Marine Casualty and Pollution Master Table (cirt).
For further discussion, see Greene (1997).
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Acknowledgements
The research was supported, in part, by the Marine Policy Center of the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI Contribution No. 11350).
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Talley, W., Jin, D. & Kite-Powell, H. The US Coast Guard Vessel Inspection Programme: A Probability Analysis. Marit Econ Logist 7, 156–172 (2005). https://doi.org/10.1057/palgrave.mel.9100127
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1057/palgrave.mel.9100127