General duties of the competent authority of flag States

The competent authority should, on the basis of an assessment of safety and health
hazards and in consultation with ship-owners and seafarers' organizations, adopt
national laws or regulations to ensure the safety and health of seafarers working on
ships.

A practical application of these national laws or regulations should be provided

through technical standards or codes of practice, or by other appropriate methods.

The competent authority should have due regard to the relevant standards adopted by
recognized international organizations in the field of maritime safety.1
1 These include, from the International Labour Organization, the Merchant Shipping (Minimum
Standards) Convention, 1976 (No. 147); the Prevention of Accidents (Seafarers) Convention, 1970
(No. 134); the Prevention of Accidents (Seafarers) Recommendation, 1970 (No. 142); and from the
International Maritime Organization, the International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea, 1974
(SOLAS); the International Convention on Standards of Training, Certification and Watchkeeping for
Seafarers, 1978 (STCW); the International Convention on Loadlines , 1966 (ICL); the Convention on
the International Regulations for Preventing Collisions at Sea, 1972 (COLREG) and any subsequent
revisions of the above instruments.

The competent authority should provide appropriate inspection services to enforce or

administer the application of the provisions of national laws and regulations and
should provide the necessary resources for the accomplishment of their task, or satisfy
itself that appropriate inspection and enforcement are carried out.
The inspection and survey of ships should normally be carried out by the competent
authority.3 If inspection and survey are delegated to classification societies and other
bodies, the competent authority should ensure that its international obligations are
fulfilled and that national laws and regulations are enforced.
The measures to be taken to ensure organized cooperation between ship owners and
seafarers to promote safety and health on board ship should be prescribed by national
law or regulations or by the competent authority.1 Such measures may include but
should not be limited to:
(a) The establishment on each ship of a safety and health committee with well-defined
Powers and duties;
(b) The appointment of an elected seafarers' safety representative(s) with well-defined
Powers and responsibilities; and
(c) The appointment by the ship-owners or master of a suitably qualified and
experienced officer to promote safety and health.
The competent authority should ensure that seafarers employed on board ships
registered in its territory are properly certificated, where required. Due regard should
be given to relevant ILO and IMO instruments, guidelines, resolutions and
publications, in particular the revised ILO/IMO Document for guidance: An
international maritime training guide (1985)3 and any subsequent revisions.