By
Cherie Rowlands |
The first few months in any new role are often among the most challenging, especially when it also involves a change of workplace, culture and language. No less so for Markku Mylly, president of the European Maritime Safety Agency (EMSA), who, in July 2012, left Helsinki to take up his new post in Lisbon.
“While no stranger to the European Maritime Safety Agency, I switched from a largely national environment to a wholly international one,” Mylly says. “There are always new things to learn and during the first months I met the staff in each unit, gaining a deeper insight into their day-to-day work and the challenges they face. I got to grips with many of EMSA’s processes and related electronic applications and have received a lot of valuable assistance throughout from everyone involved, for which I am very grateful. Drawing from my previous life onboard Finnish merchant vessels, I have completed my familiarisation period with the EMSA ship and would now like to maintain the agency vessel at cruising speed.”
During its 10 years of operation, EMSA has contributed to EU maritime policy-making and provides a high level of technical knowledge to its development. Objective audits of classification societies, visits to worldwide maritime training and education structures, and EU-encompassing traffic monitoring systems are examples of the agency’s projects to date. “I hope to build on these successful achievements, to find sustainable and economically viable solutions to upcoming challenges and to see the maritime sector become more environmentally friendly and economically profitable,” says Mylly.
“EMSA does not function alone, but in close cooperation with EU decision makers, member countries, national authorities and key stakeholders. Already a highly respected body, it is our priority to build this reputation further, by consistently proving that our expertise adds value to EU institutions, member countries and industry stakeholders.”
In conjunction with IMO, EMSA is pursuing many initiatives both within Europe and internationally, the latter also having a direct impact on European shipping and deserving as much attention, according to Mylly. EMSA is at the heart of issues such as the European passenger shipping legislation that gained greater momentum following the Costa Concordia accident and more particularly, the process of revising Directive 2009/45/EC on passenger ship safety, where it is supporting both member states and the European Commission. Mylly says: “At an international level, the string of issues being dealt with by IMO is addressing various facets of passenger vessel safety, ranging from ship stability to safety management and evacuation, as well as innovative concepts such as safe return to port.”
EMSA’s objective is to remain at the forefront of processes that underpin new legislative initiatives to improve maritime safety. “This is why we have been so active in recent years across a range of issues, including the debate on the stability of ro-pax vessels. We commissioned two major studies on the subject and participated in IMO’s SLF Subdivision and Damage Stability Working Group,” says Mylly. “Studies such as these should provide the maritime community – at both European and international level – with solid guidelines, so it can more confidently determine whether, to what extent and in what way current European and international legislative frameworks – such as the Stockholm Agreement and the SOLAS Convention – can be improved.”
Important projects being progressed in 2013 include integrating maritime information systems, as well as ensuring that the maritime safety needs of the European Commission and member countries are served. The new Thetis information system, SafeSeaNet, both the CleanSeaNet Data Centre and EU Long Range Identification and Tracking Data Centres – all hosted at EMSA – will be delivering maritime data to the Commission and member countries, with an emphasis on strengthening their quality and reliability.
“Accident investigation and the new port state control regime will be in the spotlight as we take the third maritime safety package closer to completion and we will be supporting implementation of the Directive on Shipowner Insurance for Maritime Claims, as well as backing new Commission initiatives.”
There is an underlying concern for the Agency’s executive director amid the initiatives and projects being propelled and supported by EMSA, although not one he is prepared to cede defeat to.
“What concerns me most about passenger shipping, particularly now, is that while the shipping sector – like all industrial sectors – is weathering the current economic crisis, it may be more difficult for the maritime community to reconcile so many different considerations related to maximising maritime safety in a sustainable way.”
Other issues he identifies include the race for better economies (sometimes through ever larger scale in ships), the public confidence in maritime passenger transport safety, the cost of innovation, the results of research on safety factors such as evacuation times, watertight door design and operation and damage stability. Clearly there is much work still to be done and no shortage of obstacles to be negotiated. Against this backdrop, what is Mylly’s vision for the agency and his role within it?
“I want to see EMSA heighten its profile both within Europe and beyond, so I am working towards increasing the transparency, efficiency and effectiveness of the agency,” he says. “Implementing revised regulation is likely to be one of the main challenges in my work, as we attempt to find creative solutions for fulfilling EMSA`s mission in a sustainable way.
“I will also be overseeing the adoption of EMSA’s new five-year strategy for 2014-2018, which will be promoting the European maritime cluster and making it more competitive. We have to collaborate with both ship owners and the industry to find the best and most practical solutions for the EU shipping sector.”
With the EU maritime sector employing around five million European citizens, EMSA has a role to play to ensure that these individuals, as well as interested young students, have a bright future ahead, says Mylly. “This is a prerequisite for growth, sustainability and prosperity. I have been working my entire career to achieve these goals and will continue to do so. As executive director of EMSA, I am targeting the highest levels of maritime safety, security, environmental protection and sustainability.”