International Maritime Organisation has admitted that only half of the reports on maritime academies submitted by member states two years ago have yet been assessed.
The organisation's secretary-general, William O'Niel revealed last month (May) that only 42 out of 82 reports tabled by signatories to the Standards of Training, Certification and Watchkeeping Convention 1995 had yet been audited.
It had been anticipated that the work would be completed by now. Deadline for submission was August 1 1998, although it is understood many of the reports came in late.
The net effect will be to delay publication of the so-called STCW "white list" of countries deemed to provide maritime training of sufficient quality will be put back at least six months, and possibly longer.
With implementation of the convention set in stone for February 1, 2002, any delay in drawing up the "white list" can however, still be tolerated at this stage.
Certain major labour supply countries with poor standards maritime education establishments may be pleased with the hold up as the delay could give them more time to get their act together.
There is speculation that some of them are pushing for publication of the list to be pushed back further still.
Delegates at the IMO's crucial maritime safety committee held in May decided to take no decision on the timing.
According to IMO the problem lay with the "panels of competent persons" charged with auditing the reports.
O' Neil said some of them have not done the work expected of them. It was an imperfect system, with no control from here.
"Some did it diligently, some less so. Some of the competent persons are dead," he added.
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