Officials responsible for port security in Mauritania are undergoing a week-long IMO training course in the country’s capital of Nouakchott (7-11 August). The course will equip designated authority officials, port security officials and managers with the skills to carry out effective self-assessments and audits of port facilities, in line with IMO’s International Ship and Port Facility Security (ISPS) Code and guidance on voluntary self-assessment.
The training event is the second of a three-phase technical assistance programme – designed by IMO following a needs-assessment mission, held in 2015, to help support Mauritania’s maritime security programme.
The workshop was organized by IMO and the Maritime Authority of Mauritania (Direction de la Marine Marchande). IMO was represented by a team of consultants.
On-board practice in assessing maritime security measures on a ship was a key feature of a recent workshop which took place in Montevideo, Uruguay (8-11 August). Some 45 participants, representing the national Administration and designated authority for maritime security, ship companies, recognized security organizations and ship security officers. The workshop was designed to equip participants with the necessary skill and knowledge to assess the effectiveness of International ship and Port Security (ISPS) Code implementation on board a ship, using as a basis IMO guidance on voluntary self-assessment by administration and for ship security. The workshop was organized by IMO in collaboration with the Designated Authority of Uruguay (Prefectura Nacional Naval). IMO was represented by Javier Yasnikouski and a team of consultants.
Following the launch of IMO’s film on the IMO Polar Code, a new video focused on search and rescue in polar regions is being published today.
The second video in a series on IMO in the polar environment takes a closer look at the challenges of search and rescue operations in polar regions, for example, how the current lack of marine infrastructure, coupled with the vastness and harshness of the environment, makes emergency response significantly more difficult in the Arctic and Antarctica. The limitations of radio and satellite communications to monitor and control ship movements in polar waters is another issue. The new video also explores IMO’s International Convention on Maritime Search and Rescue – the SAR Convention – which was adopted by IMO in 1979. Under the SAR Convention, individual countries are responsible for specified search and rescue regions, together forming the Global Search and Rescue Plan. A network of rescue co-ordination centres and sub-centres has been established and, together, they cover all the world’s oceans.
The video also features an exclusive interview with Commander Rodrigo Lepe, former Chief of the Chilean Navy base at Bahia Fildes on King George Island in Antarctica. The interview highlights the unique challenges he and his team face to ensure sound search and rescue practices in such a remote and inhospitable area. Watch video here
A first video explaining the Polar Code was published in May 2017 and can be re-watched here.
Cambodian officials and personnel responsible for maritime and port security are taking part in an IMO workshop in Phnom Penh (1-4 August). The course focuses on key IMO maritime security measures*, particularly the International Ship and Port Facility Security (ISPS) Code and the various roles and responsibilities that the Code entails. Participants who complete the course will also have practiced how to train others with similar responsibilities through interactive exercises and presentations.
Some 36 participants are taking part in the event, including maritime and port security officials of the Merchant Marine Department and the Ministry of Public Works and Transport as well as port security officers from the two main international ports in the country, Phnom Penh Autonomous Port and the Port Autonomous of Sihanoukville.
IMO will also meet officials to discuss further technical assistance in relation to Cambodia’s national procedures and processes for oversight and implementation of maritime security measures.
The event was organized at the request of the Ministry of Public Works and Transport, Cambodia, and opened by H. E. Leng Thun Yuthea, Under-Secretary of State of the Kingdom of Cambodia. IMO is represented by Henrik Madsen and a team of consultants, with the US Coast Guard’s International Port Security Programme also contributing.
*Chapter XI-2 of the International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea; the International Ship and Port Facility Security (ISPS) Code; the IMO/International Labour Organization (ILO) Code of Practice on Security in Ports, and related guidance.
An audience of ship owners, fuel suppliers, traders and maritime technology providers attending the IBC Asia Bunkering conference in Singapore has heard about IMO’s latest work on low carbon shipping and air pollution control. IMO’s Edmund Hughes provided an update on the work being carried out by the Organization to support effective and consistent implementation of the 0.50% global limit on the sulphur content of fuel oil which will apply from 1 January 2020.
Preparations by the bunker industry for complying with the sulphur limit was one of the key issues being discussed at the conference (26-28 July). These included strategies surrounding likely types of compliant fuel oil, use of exhaust gas cleaning systems, and development of a bunkering infrastructure to supply gas for use as an alternative fuel.
Mr. Hughes also highlighted progress on the roadmap for the development of a comprehensive IMO strategy on reduction of GHG emissions from ships.
Find out more about decisions taken at the Marine Environment Protection Committee’s 71st session in July, here.
A five-day workshop on maritime security and The International Ship and Port Facility Security (ISPS) Code concluded today in Maputo, Mozambique (24 -28 July).
The course provided port facility security officers with the necessary knowledge to perform their duties in accordance with the requirements of key IMO maritime security measures*.
As a results, participants improved their knowledge and skills of those requirements with a view to train others with similar responsibilities. The workshop included a port visit, various group exercises and interactive activities - providing solid grounding on the oversight roles and responsibilities of the designated authority.
Organized at the request of the Maritime Authority under the Ministry of Transport and Communications of Mozambique, the training was conducted in response to the findings of a maritime security table top exercise on contingency planning held by IMO in Mozambique in April 2016.
IMO was represented by Gisela Vieira.
The IMO Council is meeting for its 118th session (24-28 July), chaired by Mr Jeffrey G. Lantz (United States). The 40-Member Council is expected to review the work of the Organization since its last session and consider strategy and policy matters, including the proposed budget for the 2018-2019 biennium. Several new applications for consultative status from international non-governmental organizations will be considered. The Council will also select the recipients of two IMO awards: the 2017 IMO Award for Exceptional Bravery at Sea and the 2016 International Maritime Prize. (click for photos)
The event was organized by IMO in conjunction with the Inter-American Committee against Terrorism (CICTE), based on the framework of the Agreement of Cooperation between IMO and the Organization of the American States (OAS), signed in 2009.
The workshop was based on the results of a preliminary needs assessment by OAS-CICTE, and came as the request of the Belize Port Authority and National Security Council.
The Long-Range Identification and Tracking (LRIT) system provides for the global identification and tracking of ships. During a recent workshop in Tunis, Tunisia, (17-18 July), held on the request of the Government of Tunisia, participants were briefed on the functioning, operation and use of the LRIT system, taking into account the provisions in IMO’s Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS) Convention and relevant standards and guidance. The obligations of ships to transmit LRIT information and the rights and obligations of Governments and of search and rescue services to receive LRIT information are established in the SOLAS Convention under regulation V/19-1.
The use of oil spill dispersants, which can be used to break down an oil slick into smaller droplets as part of response efforts, is the subject of a workshop taking place in Dakar, Senegal (17-20 July). Participants from 11 countries* are attending the sub-regional workshop, which will analyse national policies on dispersant use and provide training on further development and implementation of these policies.
The event is also looking at how the Net Environmental Benefit Analysis – a decision-making concept used to help ensure that the response to an incident does not result in greater harm to the environment than may have already occurred.
The Dakar workshop was organized under the Global Initiative for West, Central and Southern Africa (GI WACAF) – a joint IMO-IPIECA project. IMO's Julien Favier of the GI WACAF project, Clement Chazot, Project Manager of the GI WACAF, and a team of consultants are facilitating the event, which is hosted by HASSMAR – the Senegalese authority in charge of maritime safety and security, and the protection of the marine environment.
Watch IMO’s film “Oil. Spill. Response” to find out more about IMO-IPIECA collaboration.
* Benin, the Congo, Côte d’Ivoire, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Gabon, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Mauritania, Sao Tome and Principe, Senegal, Togo
The loss of life of migrants at sea is a humanitarian tragedy that needs to be addressed through appropriate and effective action at the United Nations. IMO recognizes the crucial role played by both Government and non-governmental organizations in search and rescue operations, as well as the part played by merchant ships in coming to the aid of persons in distress at sea. During the second workshop of the International Dialogue on Migration (IDM), held in Geneva (18-19 July), IMO’s Julian Abril told the meeting that the number of merchant ships involved in rescue operations has remained relatively constant since 2015. The average number of persons rescued by each merchant ship remains over 110. In 2016, a total of 381 merchant ships were diverted from their routes and 121 ships were involved in the rescue of 13,888 people. Of particular concern is the upward trend in migrants reported dead or missing at sea in 2016 and during 2017 to date, which, based on current statistics, can be expected to continue during the rest of 2017 and beyond.
The Geneva meeting offers a global platform to discuss and analyse migrant’s vulnerabilities and capacities, guide appropriate policy programmatic and operational responses to address them, and enhance resilience through protection and assistance services. The meeting is expected to identify challenges and propose what should be included in the global compact for safe, orderly and regular migration.
The Global Compact on Migration is a UN Member State-led process that emanated from the 19 September 2016 New York Declaration for Refugees and Migrants approved by Heads of State during the UN General Assembly. This two-year long process is expected to culminate in the adoption of the GCM at an intergovernmental conference on international migration in 2018. The outcomes of the Geneva workshop, along with those of the first workshop organized in New York in April 2017, will be included in a comprehensive report that will feed into the GCM.
Rescue at Sea: A guide to principles and practice as applied to refugees and migrants, prepared jointly by IMO, the International Chamber of Shipping (ICS), and the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), is available to download.
IMO has a key role in implementing a number of UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) which relate directly or indirectly to the oceans, protection of the environment and the maritime industry. How to support the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and implement the UN SDGS is therefore a key theme which underpins the work of IMO's Technical Co-operation Committee, which oversees IMO's integrated technical co-operation programme (ITCP).
The Committee is meeting for its 67th session (17-19 July). The Committee will be invited to approve the proposed ITCP for 2018-2019, which includes 10 global programmes. Two of these are new proposed programmes, to support IMO's response to the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the blue economy; and to support the implementation of the technical cooperation aspects of IMO's new Strategic Plan for 2018-2023.
The ITCP also includes five regional programmes covering: Africa; Arab States and Mediterranean; Asia and Pacific Islands; Western Asia and Eastern Europe; and Latin America and Caribbean. The Committee will review activities during 2016; discuss funding issues; and consider three draft Assembly resolutions covering: the linkage between IMO's technical assistance work and the 2030 Agenda; guiding principles to support the 2030 Agenda; and financing and partnership arrangements.
IMO Secretary-General Kitack Lim opened the 67th session, which is being chaired by Mr. Zulkurnain Ayub (Malaysia). (Photos)
Work to assist the Government of Cameroon to develop a national maritime security strategy is underway in Yaoundé (5-14 July). Senior Government officials from departments and agencies concerned with maritime matters are attending meetings with an IMO consultant with a view to setting up a maritime security committee. This committee will set the course for a draft programme and strategy to enhance the country’s maritime security.
These efforts fall under IMO’s Strategy for Implementing Sustainable Maritime Security Measures in West and Central Africa. Find out more about the strategy and IMO’s work to support maritime security in the West and Central Africa region here.
Students from the International Association of Maritime Universities (IAMU) visited IMO Headquarters for their student forum (11-12 July). Its theme was that of IMO’s World Maritime Day - “Connecting Ships, Ports and People”. The visit, which brought over 60 students from all over the world, provided a unique opportunity for young people to learn more about IMO and the maritime industry. The students also took part in workshops where they tackled real industry issues such as attracting and retaining seafarers, quality training on board and gender equality in the maritime industry. They then had to write short reports on the topics discussed during each workshop. These reports will form an official student forum publication. The students also had the chance to listen to IMO’s Secretary-General Kitack Lim’s own testimony during his opening remarks, as he shared insightful anecdotes of his student days and what led him to choose a maritime career. The visit was supported by the Nippon Foundation. (Photos)
The human element lies at the heart of IMO’s work on safety, maritime security and pollution prevention. The integral role of people is set out in the “Human element vision, principles and goals for the Organization” and in the guidelines for the work of IMO committees and sub-committees. During the China Maritime Forum and International Conference on Seafarers and Services, Ningbo, China (11-12 July), held to celebrate China’s Maritime Day, IMO’s Hiro Yamada provided an overview of IMO’s activities which relate to seafarers and the human element. He outlined the latest IMO training requirements under the STCW Convention, highlighted new and updated model courses and explained how the proposed strategic directions for IMO will take into account the human element. The draft proposed strategic plan for the next six years – set to be adopted by the IMO Assembly in late 2017 – will call on IMO to take into account the human element in the review, development and implementation of new and existing requirements, including skills; education and training; human capabilities, limitations and needs. Furthermore, IMO, throughout its work, will take into account the needs and wellbeing of the seafarers and, in doing so, will always attach the utmost importance to education and training, as well as the promotion of gender equality and the empowerment of women.
Protecting and sustaining the world’s oceans are once again in the spotlight at the United Nations in New York this week (10-14 July). Moves to develop a legally binding international treaty on the conservation and sustainable use of marine biological diversity in areas beyond national jurisdiction – known as ‘BBNJ’ – are continuing with the 4th meeting of a preparatory committee to work on the draft elements of a future text. And this week also sees a high-level political forum (the HLPF) which will review, in depth, progress being made towards a number of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), including SDG 14 – “conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources for sustainable development”. The IMO Secretariat is presenting an overview of the Organization’s work in these key areas to both meetings.
IMO’s Nairobi International Convention on the Removal of Wrecks has been ratified by Croatia, bringing the total number of States to accede to the treaty to 37. The Convention, which entered into force in 2015, provides the legal basis for States to remove, or have removed, shipwrecks that may threaten the safety of lives, goods and property at sea, as well as the marine environment.
The treaty was adopted in 2007 and its Contracting States currently represent just over 70% of the world's merchant fleet tonnage. Mr. H.E. Mr. Ivan Grdešić, Ambassador of Croatia to the United Kingdom, met IMO Secretary-General Kitack Lim to deposit the instrument of accession (11 July).
The number of States signed up to IMO’s Ballast Water Management Convention has reached 61, with Honduras being the latest country acceding to the treaty. The signatories now represent 68.46 % of the world's merchant fleet tonnage. Under the treaty, ships are required to manage their ballast water, which can contain thousands of aquatic or marine microbes, plants and organisms, which are then carried across the globe.
H.E. Mr. Ivan Romero Martinez, Ambassador of Honduras to the United Kingdom and Permanent Representative of Honduras to the IMO, met IMO Secretary-General Kitack Lim at IMO Headquarters, London (10 July) to deposit the instrument of accession.
Find out more about the Ballast Water Management Convention, including videos, infographics and more, here.
An IMO training course for female officials from maritime and/or port authorities of developing countries to improve management and operational efficiency of their ports has taken place in Le Havre, France (26 June – 7 July). Participants from 20 countries* took part in the two-week “Women in Port Management” course, which included lectures on subjects such as port management, port security, port marine environment, facilitation of maritime traffic, the ship/port interface and organization of a container terminal.
Visits were organized to the Port of Le Havre, the Port of Rouen and the Harbor Master’s Office, enabling the participants to experience for themselves the day-to-day operations of a port with a view to applying this knowledge back in their respective countries.
The event was held under IMO’s gender and capacity-building programme, in collaboration with the Le Havre Port Authority, and held at the Institut Portuaire d'Enseignement et de Recherche (IPER). It comes as part of IMO’s ongoing efforts to support the UN Sustainable Development Goal number five: achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls.
*Twenty female officials from Bangladesh, Belize, Brazil, Chile, Ecuador, Egypt, Guyana, Jamaica, Jordan, Mexico, Pakistan, Panama, Philippines, Seychelles, Sri Lanka, Tonga, Uganda, United Republic of Tanzania and Viet Nam.
Just days after the announcement by IMO of the ground-breaking Global Industry Alliance (GIA), another commercial company has joined the initiative to help shipping and related industries transition towards a low-carbon future.
The Grimaldi Group, a global shipping and logistics company, has become the fourteenth company to join the GIA, a public-private partnership initiative in which 'industry champions' from various sectors of the industry come together to tackle the challenges of decarbonizing the shipping sector. The GIA members will identify and develop innovative solutions to barriers holding back the uptake and implementation of energy-efficiency technologies and operational measures in shipping.
The GIA has been established under the auspices of the GloMEEP Project, a Global Environment Facility (GEF)-United Nations Development Program (UNDP)-IMO project aimed at supporting developing countries implement energy efficiency-measures for shipping.
Thailand has become the latest State to accede to the international conventions on Civil Liability for Oil Pollution Damage (CLC) and the Establishment of an International Fund for Compensation for Oil Pollution Damage (Fund).
The CLC Convention ensures that compensation is available to people who suffer oil pollution damage from maritime casualties involving oil-carrying ships, and places liability on the owner of the ship from which the polluting oil escaped or was discharged.
The International Oil Pollution Compensation Funds (IOPC Funds) provide additional financial compensation for oil pollution damage that occurs in Member States, resulting from spills of persistent oil from tankers.
H.E. Mr. Pisanu Suvanajata, Ambassador of Thailand to the United Kingdom, met IMO Secretary-General Kitack Lim at IMO Headquarters, London (7 July) to deposit the instruments of accession.
How can human security help achieve the 2030 Agenda for sustainable development and its associated Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)? That’s one of the key issues being examined at a high-level event today (7 July) at UN Headquarters in New York. Organised by the UN Human Security Unit, the event will feature a panel discussion providing global, regional, UN system and civil society perspectives on applying human security to Agenda 2030. Delegates will take the opportunity to share experiences and lessons learned on how a human security approach can help strengthen strategies, tools and partnerships to accelerate integrated and preventive actions towards achieving the SDGs. IMO’s Chris Trelawny is in attendance.
A busy Marine Environment Protection Committee (MEPC 71) is now under way at IMO Headquarters in London (3-7 July). A key item on the agenda is the implementation of the Ballast Water Management (BWM) Convention, which will enter into force on 8 September 2017. The Committee will consider draft amendments to the BWM Convention which will determine the implementation schedule for installations of ballast water management systems. Following ratification by Greece last week (on 26 June), the BWM Convention has been ratified by 60 countries, representing 68.46% of world merchant shipping tonnage. The Committee is also set to address the prevention of atmospheric pollution from ships, including the reduction of GHG emissions and the implementation of the 0.50% global sulphur limit for sulphur in fuel oil used on board ships. The MEPC was opened by Secretary-General Kitack Lim and is being chaired by Arsenio Dominguez (Panama). Click for photos. Further information here.
Dealing with an oil spill requires effective management of waste created by a spill. A national workshop in the Republic of the Congo (27-29 June) has provided an opportunity for officials who may be involved in dealing with a spill under national contingency plans to get updated on the latest technical and regulatory knowledge and best practices to establish and manage effective waste management operations. The workshop was organized under the auspices of the Global Initiative for West, Central and Southern Africa (GI WACAF) – a joint IMO-IPIECA project.
IMO's Julien Favier of the GI WACAF project and a team of consultants facilitated the event, which was hosted by the Ministry of Transport, Aviation and Merchant Marine.
A regional workshop focusing on this year’s World Maritime Day theme - Connecting Ships, Ports and People – has been held in Buenos Aires, Argentina (26-29 June). The event, organized by IMO in collaboration with the Argentine Maritime Authority (Prefectura Naval Argentina), aimed to promote cooperation between ports and designated authorities of participating countries through an open discussion and by sharing experiences and best practices related to maritime security. The workshop also reviewed the implementation of maritime security in the region and evaluating new or evolving threats. Specific subjects addressed included the establishment of national maritime security committees; application of the International Ship and Port Facility Security (ISPS) Code in areas other than port facilities; training and certification of port facility security officers (PFSOs); drills and exercises;maritime cyber risk management; and best practices and recommendations related to the implementation of security measures in port facilities. The workshop included a security exercise in a port facility with participation of different national authorities, organized as part of activities related to the national day of the Argentine Coast Guard. A representative of the Inter-American Committee on Ports of the Organization of American States (OAS-CIP), the President of the International ISPS forum based in Mexico (RED PBIP) and the Head of the International Port Security Program of the United States Coast Guard are participating, along with national representatives of 17 States from the region. IMO was represented by Chris Trelawny and Javier Yasnikouski.