Port Marine Safety Code compliant ports
Under the Port Marine Safety Code (PMSC) port facility duty holders are responsible for ensuring that their organisation complies with the Code and must report compliance with the Code to the Maritime and Coastguard Agency every 3 years.
Documents
Details
Port Marine Safety Code duty holder statements of compliance
The Port Marine Safety Code (“the Code”) sets out a national standard for every aspect of port marine safety. Its aim is to enhance safety for everyone who uses or works in the UK port marine environment. It is endorsed by the UK Government, the devolved administrations and representatives from across the maritime sector and, while the Code is not mandatory, these bodies have a strong expectation that all harbour authorities will comply. The Code is intended to be flexible enough that any size or type of harbour or marine facility will be able to apply its principles in a way that is appropriate and proportionate to local requirements.
The Code is applicable both to statutory harbour authorities and to other marine facilities which may not have statutory powers and duties. These are collectively referred to throughout the Code as ‘organisations’ and may include, but are not limited to, the following:
- competent harbour authorities (authorities with statutory pilotage duties)
- municipal port or harbour authorities; trust port or harbour authorities
- private port or harbour authorities
- marine berths, terminals or jetties
It is strongly recommended that organisations or facilities which are not a statutory harbour authority, such as marine berths and terminals, seek a proportionate compliance with this Code.
Where a marine terminal or jetty is situated within the jurisdiction of a Statutory Harbour Area (“SHA”), it is important for both parties to engage with one another to ascertain the scope and extent of the SHA’s Marine Safety Management System (MSMS) and whether it incorporates any of the terminal’s or jetty’s marine operations. This engagement will help to define whether it is necessary for the terminal or jetty to develop their own MSMS.
Duty holder responsibilities
The duty holder is responsible for ensuring that their organisation complies with the Code. In order to effectively undertake this role they should:
- be aware of the organisation’s powers and duties related to marine safety
- ensure that a suitable MSMS, which employs formal safety assessment techniques, is in place
- appoint a suitable designated person to monitor and report the effectiveness of the MSMS and provide independent advice on matters of marine safety
- appoint competent people to manage marine safety
- ensure that the management of marine safety continuously improves by publishing a marine safety plan and reporting performance against the objectives and targets set
- report compliance with the Code to the Maritime and Coastguard Agency every 3 years
Updates to this page
Last updated 1 February 2022 + show all updates
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Updated list of UK port facilities confirming PMSC compliance up to 31st January 2022, including latest submissions marked with (*).
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Published - list of UK port facilities confirming Port Marine Safety Code (PMSC) compliance prior to 5 November 2021
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First published.