IMO in 2012

Passenger ship safety came under the spotlight following the Costa Concordia accident in January; a new agreement on fishing vessel safety was adopted; maritime training took a step forward with the entry into force of new standards; new regulations addressing on-board noise levels and enclosed-space entry were approved, and guidance on electronic charts and medical examinations for seafarers was issued. Please click here for more details                                     

The carriage of arms on board merchant ships to combat piracy became a hot topic during 2012. Following a high-level segment of the Maritime Safety Committee devoted to the subject, IMO issued guidance for private maritime security companies and collaborated with the International Standards Organization on the development of a standard for use by Governments seeking to certify such companies. The year also saw considerable progress made towards the implementation of the IMO-led Djibouti Code of Conduct, a measure aimed at building anti-piracy capacity in the countries of eastern and southern Africa. In 2012, the concept was extended to include implementation of an integrated coast guard function network for West and Central Africa. Please click here for more details

IMO’s work to protect the environment was highlighted in 2012 at both the UN Conference on Sustainable Development in Rio de Janeiro (Rio+20) and the Expo 2012 in Yeosu, Republic of Korea. These events gave impetus to IMO’s own project to establish sustainable development goals for the maritime industries. The year also saw guidelines developed to support the implementation of energy efficiency measures for ships and the Hong Kong Convention on ship recycling. 2012 was also the 40^th anniversary of the adoption of the London Convention, which regulates the dumping of wastes into the sea.

Oil spill response, greenhouse gas emissions and ballast water management were just three of the many diverse subject areas in which IMO conducted projects or technical co-operation activities during 2012. Overall, 234 activities within the Integrated Technical Co-operation Programme (ITCP) delivered in 2012, a significant increase over the 183 delivered during the previous year.

Among IMO’s legal landmarks for 2012 were an increase in the limits of liability in the 1996 Protocol to the Convention on Limitation of Liability for Maritime Claims and the agreement of guidelines for implementation of the 2010 Protocol on Hazardous and Noxious Substances (HNS), formulated in conjunction with the International Oil Pollution Compensation (IOPC) Funds.