Facilities

a) Port State Control Unit (PSCU)

 In 1999, cooperation was established between AASTMT and NORAD/NORWAY in the field of Flag State and Port State Control. The cooperation involved the provision of a three-year training program for ship inspectors.

Therefore, a total of 60 inspectors were trained, 50 of which were engaged in work related to inspection.

A core group comprising 10 lecturers/inspectors was established within the AASTMT as flag and PSC instructors.

AASTMT was thus self-sufficient as far as teaching and training are concerned.

In 2003 the PSC unit was contracted by the Lebanese Maritime Authority to establish and coordinate the Lebanese PSC regime and to improve the Lebanese flag state system.

The system has been successfully established and is still successfully implemented by the well-trained Lebanese PSC inspectors.

Furthermore, the Lebanese flag ships were dramatically improved through the years 2004 and 2005.

In 2008, the PSC unit established cooperation with Saudi Ports Authority (SIPA), by which a Saudi regime similar to the successful Lebanese one was founded. 

In 2012 a practical PSC training course was held to nominees from Yemen in cooperation with the Yemeni Maritime Affairs Authority (MAA).
   

 
b) Maritime Administration Model Project (Audit Scheme)

The adoption of the framework and procedures for the scheme marks a new era for the IMO,    in which the Organization has at its disposal a tool to achieve harmonized and consistent global implementation of IMO standards, which in turn is key to realizing the IMO objectives of safe, secure, and efficient shipping on clean oceans.
 

To ensure that the Member States' audit commences in 2006, an adequate pool of trained auditors was established by mid 2006, based on nominations by Member States of qualified auditors for training under the provisions of the scheme.

The technical co-operation global programme for the scheme had a key role to play in supporting the training programme.

Upon receiving a request for audit from a Member State, the IMO Secretary General will appoint an audit team leader who will discuss and agree to the scope of the audit with the Member State.

The audit will commence after signing a Memorandum of Cooperation by the Secretary General and the Member State. The Memorandum will set out the scope of the audit and a time frame.
  

 The audit will help to identify where capacity-building activities would have the greatest effect and will also enable appropriate action to be much more precisely taken.

 Individual Member States which volunteer to be subject to audit will receive valuable feedback.

 On a wider scale, generic lessons learnt from audits can be provided to all Member States so that the benefits are shared. The regulatory process at IMO may also benefit from the results of this learning experience.
  

Alongside the audit scheme framework and procedures, the Assembly of the United Nations has adopted a Code for the Implementation of Mandatory IMO Instruments, which will provide the audit standard. 

The audit scheme will be mandatory on all IMO Member States by January 2016.

IMO Compound cooperates with the Arab States in training their nominees on the audit scheme requirements to prepare the Arab States for the IMO audit.

c) IMO White List & STCW Independent Evaluation:
   The IMO Compound experts assist Arab States in preparing their files to be submitted to the IMO so they can be fully included in the IMO white list and to prepare their Independent Evaluation Files which shall be approved by the IMO Maritime Safety Committee every 5 years.
 

d) IMO Conventions Follow up Unit:
Establishing a Website: www.amtcc.com
 

The IMO Compound has established a site on the Internet to serve the Arab countries. This site contains information in Arabic on the activities performed including conferences, workshops, training sessions, in addition to the different IMO meetings planned and to be carried out till the end of the year, aiming at attaining the best results through the co-operation already in effect.