Iran marine fleet on IMO’s white list: PMO chief

Proper implementation of standards and the set of measures taken to preserve maritime safety have helped Islamic Republic of Iran’s marine fleet to be placed on the International Maritime Organization (IMO)`s white list, a senior official said.

According to the Managing Director of Iran’s Port and Maritime Organization Mohammad Rastad, the status has been achieved in the wake of adhering to the requirements for promoting maritime safety.

The measures include the preparation of hydrographic maps of the ports and doing dredging, he noted.

“One of the other tasks to increase maritime safety, which has been done by the Ports and Maritime Organization, also the establishment of navigational assistance symbols in the ports of and waterways.”

Another step taken to ensure maritime safety was creating a naval rescue fleet, Rastad added.

“According to the Marine Search and Rescue Operations Scheme, the Ports Organization Fleet will be stationed in different parts of the North and South coasts and the Marine search and rescue coordination centers are required to plan and act in response to emergency situations at sea.”

He went on to say that “to ensure the safety of sailing, continuous technical inspections and safety of ships and vessels are on the agenda of the Ports and Maritime Organization.”

The PMO chief added that “one of the tasks of the Organization`s inspection and control officers is to ensure that the vessels that enter into the ports of the country have the necessary safety standards and, prevent them from entering if the ship or flotation does not meet the required standards.”