ISPS Deadline May Change

Published Mar 16, 2004 12:01 AM by The Maritime Executive

The Baltic and International Maritime Council (BIMCO) performed a survey amongst its members on behalf of International Maritime Organization (IMO), which supports the fact that not all ships or maritime facilities may be able to meet the deadline. IMO has long said that the compliance deadline of July 1st would not be pushed back, because the deadline for comliance implementation and timetable was unrealistic. Secondly, thousands of ships will clearly miss the deadline. Finally, the ?Recognized Security Organizations? are behind in their paperwork as well. The recent retirement of past IMO president, William O?Neil may, in fact, be the saving grace for current President, Efthimios Mitropouls, to extend the deadline without loosing face.