Asian shipyards are set to have an increasing influence over ship-construction regulation at the International Maritime Organization (IMO) after a new association was granted consultative status.
The Active Shipbuilding Experts' Federation (ASEF)'s application to join the ranks of the IMO's non-governmental organisations was approved at last week’s IMO council meeting.
ASEF’s members are dominated by the world’s largest shipbuilding nations — Japan, South Korea and China — with Turkey the only non-Far East shipbuilding country represented.
The council agreed that because ASEF’s members covered more than 90% of world shipbuilding output it could be considered as truly international — one of the IMO's criteria for consultative status.
From now on, ASEF will be able to attend and observe working groups, as well as offer its opinion through papers submitted to committees.
ASEF will be hoping to contribute towards safety. It wants to influence ship-construction regulation through the new goal-based standards methodology recently adopted by the IMO.
It will also want to have a say on new efficiency standards for ships and the reduction of carbon emissions through ship design.
Cyber security is also a concern for shipyards, particularly the protection of intellectual property.
However, the participation of Asian yards at the IMO could prove contentious. Shipyards and owners often hold widely differing views on construction standards, which could lead to heated debates.
