Port Marine Safety Code

The Port Marine Safety Code (PMSC) was published by the UK Department for Transport in 2000 after the "Sea Empress" disaster in the Bristol Channel and introduced a national standard for all aspects of port marine safety. It established a series of measures by which a harbour authority can be held accountable for its legal powers and duties to run its harbours in safety.

Jersey Harbours, as a Trading Operation of the States of Jersey, is accountable for the discharge of similar duties and powers in Jersey legislation.

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Port Marine Safety Management System

The Port Marine Safety Management System (PMSMS) incorporates the policies and procedures necessary to ensure compliance to the PMSC. It has been developed with input from Jersey Harbours’ staff, Port Users and other interested parties. It is supported by a number of risk assessments and associated standard operating procedures (SOPs).

Jersey Harbours has developed a Port Marine Safety Policy in accordance with best practice established by the standards laid down in the UK Port Marine Safety Code.

Within the UK, the code is directed at harbour authorities empowered to regulate shipping movements and the safety of navigation within its harbours. Jersey Harbours has similar powers.

Jersey Harbours has a further remit in that it is empowered to regulate shipping movements and safety of navigation within the territorial waters of the Island.

This PMSMS relates to the safety of marine operations within the Pilotage Zones of the territorial waters of Jersey and the Ports of the Island.

Aims and objectives

This code was developed and offers a national standard for port safety with the aim to "improve safety for those who use or work in ports, their ships, passengers and cargoes, and the environment".

The code's aims are:

to introduce a national standard for every aspect of port marine safety
to improve safety for those who use or work in ports, their ships, passengers and cargoes, and the environment
to establish a measure by which harbour authorities can be accountable for the legal powers and duties which they have, to run their harbours safely

Under the Harbours (Administration) (Jersey) Law, 1961, a harbour means “any harbour, whether natural or artificial, and includes any port, dock, pier, jetty or quay, and any waters in which sea-going vessels can obtain shelter or ship or unship goods or passengers. “

Open Port Duty

The States of Jersey lays great importance on regular and reliable shipping services, especially those services transporting passengers and freight by Ro-Ro vessels. Jersey Harbours, in so far that general shipping is concerned, endeavours to uphold the “Open Port Duty” applicable to United Kingdom ports: that is, upon payment of the required dues, the harbour, dock, or pier shall be open to all persons for the shipping and unshipping of goods, and the embarking and landing of passengers.

General principles

The standards are based on the following general principles established in the code:

harbour authority boards are accountable for their duties and powers and should measure themselves against nationally agreed standards
harbour authority boards should publish policies, plans and periodic reports setting out how they comply with standards set by the code
powers, policies and procedures should be based on formal assessment of hazards and risks, and harbour authorities should have formal safety management systems
the aim of a safety management system is to ensure that all risks are tolerable and as low as reasonably practicable
safety management systems depend upon competence standards applied to all parties involved-these have been developed in parallel to the code
harbour authorities should monitor and adopt good practice - “A Guide to Good Practice” has been developed in parallel with the code

Policies, plans and procedures

Jersey Harbours has developed policies, plans and procedures in accordance with the code and nationally agreed standards. The Port Marine Safety Policy Document commits Jersey Harbours to undertake and regulate marine operations in a way that safeguards the territorial waters of the Island, the harbours and its users, the public and the environment. It also sets out how compliance with the code will be determined.

Compliance with the Port Marine Safety Policy Document is achieved by considering risks and the means to reduce them, proper control over the movement of shipping and appropriate qualification and training for those involved in the execution of services.

Plans are produced to ensure adequate resources are available to manage identified hazards imposed by an activity. Procedures regulate the method under which an activity is undertaken and in order to impose those control measures considered necessary to mitigate the risks. Therefore assessments of hazards and the means of reducing risks have been established, are managed and monitored.

Jersey Harbours, as a Trading Operation of the States of Jersey, is accountable for the discharge of its duties and powers in Jersey legislation. As a part of its commitment to facilitating the safe navigation and operation of vessels within the port and territorial waters, Jersey Harbours has developed a Port Marine Safety Policy in accordance with best practice established by the standards laid down in the UK Port Marine Safety Code.

Duty Holder

The Chief Executive Officer is the ‘Duty Holder’ and, as such, accepts the responsibility for ensuring that Jersey Harbours discharges its duties and powers to those standards.

The Duty Holder will ensure that:

the Safety Management System is reviewed at intervals of not more than 3 years
subject to the provisions of local legislation governing the port, the port shall be open to all persons for the shipping and unshipping of goods and embarking and landing of passengers
the assets of the port are managed safely and efficiently and in a cost effective manner
navigation marks and lights are maintained in accordance with a planned maintenance programme and in accordance with the standards required of a Lighthouse Authority
all staff engaged in duties connected with the safety of navigation are competent, medically fit and trained in those duties. A programme of updating and ongoing training will ensure that standards are maintained in keeping with modern developments
staff are provided with adequate resources to enable them to operate the policies, procedures and systems effectively
staff are trained and exercised in emergency and contingency procedures
port activities do not have a detrimental effect on the environment and local wildlife habitats and that wherever possible high environmental quality will be maintained and improved

Designated person

The code requires that a designated person is appointed and, for Jersey Harbours, this person is the Assistant Harbourmaster PMSC. He has responsibility for the day-to-day implementation of the PMSMS and he is responsible for auditing Jersey Harbours’ compliance with the Code.

The Designated Person is required to provide the Duty Holder, to whom he has direct access, with independent assurance on a frequent and regular basis that the PMSMS is operating within its defined policy commitments.

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