ALCOAST 066/22 - FEB 2022 INTERNATIONAL MARITIME ORGANIZATION (IMO) MEMBER STATE AUDIT OF THE UNITED STATES

R 242220Z FEB 22
FM COMDT COGARD WASHINGTON DC
TO ALCOAST
BT
UNCLAS
ALCOAST 066/22
SSIC 16700
SUBJ: INTERNATIONAL MARITIME ORGANIZATION (IMO)
MEMBER STATE AUDIT OF THE UNITED STATES
1. Background: the IMO's Member State Audit Scheme (IMSAS)
is intended to provide a comprehensive and objective
assessment of how effectively a Member State administers
and implements the key IMO conventions they are party to
(e.g., SOLAS, MARPOL, Load Lines, Tonnage, COLREGS, and
STCW). The Member State audit includes flag, port, and
coastal State activities ranging from port State control to
search and rescue. The first voluntary IMO audit of the
United States was conducted in April 2008.
2. The United States Consolidated Strategy for the IMO
Instruments Implementation (III) Code serves as the framework
to ensure the United States meets its international obligations
and responsibilities as a flag, port, and coastal State as
prescribed by the III Code. The strategy underscores the
vision to enhance global maritime safety, security, and
protection of the marine environment through effective
engagement and implementation of the IMO instruments and
captures the lines of effort to ensure compliance with
the III Code.
3. As the lead federal agency, the Coast Guard will
coordinate with interagency partners to capitalize on this
opportunity to improve processes and expand the Mission
Management System (MMS). The MMS conforms to the American
National Standard Institute for Quality Management Systems
(ISO 9001:2015) to drive continuous improvement in the
fulfillment of domestic and international obligations.
Since the voluntary audit in 2008, the Coast Guard has
continued to develop capabilities by implementing the MMS
to foster a culture of continual improvement, training a
nationwide cadre of MMS professionals, and by conducting
routine ISO 9001-based audits across the interagency to
monitor system efficacy. Future efforts will seek to
incorporate coastal State programs, as well as Areas and
Districts into the MMS to ensure consistency in meeting
international requirements.
4. The IMO Member State audit will be a two-week engagement,
beginning Monday 28FEB2022 and closing Monday 14MAR2022.
Over 70 participants from COMDTs (CG-5P) and (CG-5R) program
offices, and external partners including DOS, EPA, NTSB, NOAA,
USACE, and FCC will play an important role in demonstrating
overall compliance with the IMO instruments. Sector Virginia
will be the field representative for this effort and will
verify both implementation and enforcement of the
IMO instruments.
5. The participating auditors for this effort are from
Canada, Italy, Sweden, Finland, and the IMO Secretariat,
representing countries that are members of the IMO and have
undergone their own Member State audit. They bring a wealth
of knowledge and experience with regards to the implementation
and enforcement of IMO instruments. We look forward to
sharing with them how the United States effectively manages
Member State obligations with regards to implementation,
compliance, and enforcement of IMO instruments.
6. Interagency goals for this audit will be to: (a) further
improve flag, port, and coastal State systems used to
fulfill the United States' obligations, and (b) continually
grow and enhance the MMS. To maximize exposure and
knowledge, the results of the audit will be shared in an
effort to highlight both areas of strength and
opportunities for improvement.
7. RDML M. W. Raymond, Commander, Force Readiness Command,
(FC-C), sends.
8. Internet release is authorized.