IMO Secretary-General Kitack Lim has asked the United Nations system agencies to support IMO in its request to governments to declare seafarers, port personnel and other crucial maritime workers as key personnel. Mr. Lim made the plea during a virtual meeting (1 April) with other UN chiefs and the UN Secretary-General. The meeting addressed the impact of COVID-19 on, among other things, disruption and restrictions to travel, trade flows, global logistics, supply of food, pharmaceuticals and medical equipment.
During the meeting, Mr Lim highlighted the importance of welfare and well-being of maritime personnel and particularly seafarers and the significance of crew changes to support the global supply chain. He also highlighted the major restrictions to crew changes due to travel bans and restrictions that are being increasingly imposed by governments due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Mr Lim reiterated his message that shipping is a vital artery for the economy to enable the global supply chain and global trade flows, including in particular urgently needed pharmaceuticals, medical equipment and food supply. Seaborne trade is still flowing but challenges are growing due to restrictions being introduced by countries. Mr. Lim added that
IMO and the maritime industry were committed to ensuring and supporting global trade flows and the global supply chain.
IMO Secretary-Lim was participating in the meeting of the expanded UN Senior Management Group (SMG) chaired by the UN Secretary-General António Guterres. The meeting was attended by members of the SMG as well as heads of UN specialized agencies of FAO, IFAD, ICAO, IMO, ILO, ITU, WHO and WMO.
Opening the meeting, UN Secretary-General António Guterres stressed the importance of and need for coordinated global, but also regional and local approach to address this unprecedented crisis and appealed to all UN-system agencies to work together for a coordinated response.
What is biofouling and why does it matter? How do ships and other ocean structures spread invasive aquatic species? How does it contribute to Greenhouse gas emissions?
A new IMO video animation shows how aquatic organisms can build up on surfaces and structures exposed to the sea - a process known as biofouling. These organisms can be potentially invasive and spread across oceans, with sometimes dramatic consequences on biodiversity and economy.
But there is hope: a global project, led by IMO, has been set up to tackle this problem head on.
Backed by the Global Environment Facility (GEF) and the UN Development Programme (UNDP), IMO's GloFouling Partnerships is bringing together partners and stakeholders all over the world to develop and share solutions to biofouling.
Watch the video here and find out more about biofouling and the GloFouling Partnerships project.
Despite the COVID-19 pandemic, the IMO Secretariat continues to function effectively. The majority of staff are working remotely, making full use of telecommuting and teleconferencing technology. (see press briefing here for details).
IMO Secretary-General Kitack Lim stressed the need to move to this operational mode to help protect staff and visitors and to contribute to wider efforts to mitigate the impact of the disease. He also acknowledged the impact that COVID-19 is having not only on the shipping industry but on the world as a whole. However, he hoped any negative impact it might have on the good progress being made at IMO on key policy issues such as environmental protection, would be short-lived.
He emphasized that, despite working from home, IMO staff remain fully committed to supporting the Member States and delivering on the Organization's objectives and mandates.
The entry into force of IMO's Cape Town Agreement on fishing vessel safety will be crucial for improved safety at sea for fishers and will support the fight against illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing. During a European Union High-level Ministerial Maritime Conference in Opatija, Croatia (10-11 March), participants including IMO Secretary-General Kitack Lim highlighted the urgent need to bring the Cape Town Agreement into force.
During the event, further momentum towards this goal was seen, with three more States (Bulgaria, Poland and Portugal) signing the "Torremolinos Declaration" - under which States publicly indicate their determination to ratify the Cape Town Agreement by the tenth anniversary of its adoption (11 October 2022), and to combat illegal unreported and unregulated fishing.
The Torremolinos Declaration was opened for signature at IMO's October 2019 conference on fishing vessel safety in Torremolinos, Spain, and has now reached 51 signatories.
The Cape Town Agreement outlines regulations designed to protect the safety of crews and observers and provides a level playing field for the industry while setting standards for fishing vessels of 24 meters length and over.
The treaty will enter into force 12 months after at least 22 States, with an aggregate 3,600 fishing vessels of 24 meters in length and over operating on the high seas have expressed their consent to be bound by it. To date, 14 countries have ratified the Agreement. The entry into force is expected to improve safety at sea in the fisheries sector worldwide. It will also be a useful tool in combatting illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing and reducing pollution from fishing vessels, including marine debris.
Regional efforts to enhance maritime security are dependent on good information sharing, through multi-agency National Maritime Information Sharing Centres. An IMO-led regional workshop on information sharing in the Western Indian Ocean and the Gulf of Aden ((3-5 March) brought together participants from 14 signatory States to the Djibouti Code of Conduct (DCoC) and its Jeddah Amendment, which aims to counter and suppress crime in the maritime domain.
Participants discussed how best to set up national maritime information sharing centres and agreed on the need to establish legal frameworks at national level, to ensure coordination and full participation of all agencies.
The workshop was organised following the establishment last year of a Working Group on Information Sharing. This was part of a plan of action adopted by States in the western Indian Ocean and the Gulf of Aden area to ensure better coordination of regional efforts to enhance maritime security. Recommendations from the workshop will be fed into the next Jeddah Amendment high-level workshop, scheduled to be held later this year.
The workshop was held at the Djibouti Regional Training Centre (DRTC), Djibouti, and attended by 24 participants from Comoros, Djibouti, Ethiopia, Jordan, Kenya, Madagascar, Mauritius, Mozambique, Saudi Arabia, Seychelles, Somalia, South Africa, Tanzania (United Republic of), and Yemen. The workshop was organized by IMO and supported by the United Kingdom, who provided technical experts. Funding came from a Japanese contribution to the DCoC Trust Fund to support training activities at the DRTC.
Senior maritime administrators in the Caribbean have had the chance to network and bring themselves up to speed with the latest IMO regulatory developments, during a recent IMO-led regional workshop for senior maritime administrators, held in Castries, St. Lucia (5-6 March).
Participants received detailed information about activities organized under IMO's Integrated Technical Cooperation Programme (ITCP) aimed at building capacity in the region to comply with international rules and standards related to maritime safety and the prevention of maritime pollution. Participants had a chance to ask questions on the outcomes of many IMO meetings of special interest to their region and were updated on knowledge partnerships and ongoing major projects, as well as the IMO Member State Audit Scheme. They also heard about the latest work of the Regional Marine Pollution Emergency, Information and Training Centre – Caribe (RAC/REMPEITC-Caribe), the Maritime Technology Cooperation Centre for the Caribbean (MTCC Caribbean), the Caribbean Memorandum of Understanding on Port State Control (CMoU), the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) Secretariat (in the context of maritime transport) and the Women in Maritime Association Caribbean (WiMAC).
The workshop was hosted by the Saint Lucia Air and Sea Ports Authority (SLASPA). Participants attended from: Antigua and Barbuda, the Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Dominica, Grenada, Guyana, Haiti, Jamaica, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Suriname and Trinidad and Tobago; and the territories/regions of Anguilla (United Kingdom), Bermuda (United Kingdom), British Virgin Islands (United Kingdom), the Cayman Islands (United Kingdom), Curaçao (Netherlands), Martinique (France), Montserrat (United Kingdom), Sint Eustatius (Netherlands), Sint Maarten (Netherlands) and Turks and Caicos Island.
Maritime development in Somalia has moved a significant step forward with the completion of the Somali Shipping Code. The Code is the culmination of some six years of work, supported by IMO and the United Nations Assistance Mission in Somalia (UNSOM), to build Somalia's capacity to grow and sustain a burgeoning blue economy and to ensure the necessary legal and administrative processes are in place.
The text of the Shipping Code will now undergo the necessary parliamentary processes for enactment into Somali national law.
The Shipping Code is the blueprint for the country to adop relevant international maritime conventions*, to enable it to discharge its responsibilities as a flag, port and coastal State . At more than 3,300 km, Somalia's coastline is the longest and perhaps the most geographically significant in the Horn of Africa. It has four main commercial seaports and several minor ports.
The development of the Code was instigated in 2014, when Somalia requested IMO to help revise its previous (1959) maritime code. The country was emerging from more than two decades of internal conflict and concerted international efforts to suppress and reduce acts of piracy off its long coastlinr.
The revised Shipping Code reflects the most up-to-date best practices and developments in international maritime law. The process of developing it, has seen aSomali Maritime Administration established. IMO and UNSOM have worked with Somalia to deliver legal and technical training to support core administrative and legal functions, including induction training for maritime administration officials during a workshop in January 2020 at the Djibouti Regional Training Centre, Djibouti.
During a ceremony in Mogadishu (9 March), Her Excellency, Honourable Maryam Aweys Jama, the Minister of Ports and Marine Transport in the Federal Government of Somalia, received a copy of the finalized Code (in the Somali language) from Mr. Dave Muli, IMO's Regional Coordinator for Eastern and Southern Africa.
Mr. Muli thanked the Federal Government of Somalia for its commitment to ensuring safe shipping off the coast of Somalia and pledged IMO's continuing support for the development of Somalia's maritime future.
* Relevant international maritime conventions include the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS); IMO conventions on safety of life at sea (SOLAS), prevention of pollution from ships (MARPOL), seafarer training (STCW); and the International Labour Organization's Maritime Labour Convention (MLC).
To mark International Women's Day, celebrated on 8 March each year, Member States and observer delegations at an IMO sub-committee meeting this week have highlighted the importance of the Day and the continuing struggle for women's rights and gender equality.
In a powerful statement, they point out that women are often exposed to violence, hardship and discrimination in all spheres, everywhere, and women and girls are the first to be affected by poverty, conflict and climate change. The statement adds "This special day reminds us of the ongoing need to ensure that men and women enjoy full and equal rights and participation in their economies, politics, employment, communities and families." The 2020 theme for International Women's Day is "Generation Equality: Realizing Women's Rights".
The statement commends IMO for the many positive efforts it has made in working for gender equality in a traditionally male-dominated arena, including its Women in Maritime Programme and its related regional women's associations. It also points to the success of IMO's 2019 World Maritime Theme - "Empowering Women in the Maritime Community" – and the need to ensure that this theme continues to resonate into the future.
This year's World Maritime theme highlights the global Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and, as the statement points out, SDG 5 (on gender equality) is a crosscutting theme that underpins all the SDGs.
IMO Secretary General Kitack Lim welcomed the statement and confirmed that gender equality remains high on IMO's agenda. The statement was delivered by the delegation of France, on behalf of other member states and organisations.
Multi-agency cooperation at national and international level is key to enhancing maritime security, protecting global trade and countering transnational organized crime. A workshop (2-5 March) in the Maldives has brought together UN agencies and senior officials from various government departments, whose mandates cover counter-terrorism, migration, border security and law enforcement.
The workshop focused on best practices in border security and counter-terrorism. The aim is to bolster further policy discussions by the relevant national authorities on how security can be incorporated into the broader border and migration management framework for the country, including through data collection and management, use of pre-arrival information and passenger controls.
IMO contributed a component on maritime border security, particularly relevant to the Maldives, with its unique geography - a vast coastline and remote islands. IMO focuses on what the shipping and port sectors can do to protect themselves and others against possible maritime security threats, including acts of terrorism; and to assist the Government to implement appropriate security measures. The main focus is on preventive security through a continuous risk management process, including procedures for deterrence and threat transfer in line with IMO measures to enhance maritime security (SOLAS chapter XI-2 and the ISPS Code).
Other sessions have been delivered by the International Organization for Migration (IOM), the World Customs Organization (WCO), the UN Counter-Terrorism Centre (UNCCT) and INTERPOL. The workshop follows a joint IMO-UNODC interagency workshop on legal implementation of counter-terrorism instruments conducted in 2018 as well as technical training for the Maldivian Designated Authority conducted by IMO in 2019.
Needs assessment missions are one of the ways in which IMO can support member States in effective implementation of IMO's maritime security measures, at the country's request. The Philippines is the first country in the ASEAN region to undergo an IMO security needs assessment. The intention is to enhance maritime security on a long-term basis and offer any needed capacity building.
The assessment took place in Manila (24 to 28 February) and included meetings with the Office of Transportation Security (OTS), Philippines Coast Guards (PCG), Maritime Industry Authority (MARINA), Philippines Port Authority (PPA), and other structures involved in maritime and port security.
A visit to a port facility was also conducted to review the Port Facility Security Plan (PFSP) and port security regime, inspect physical security in place and interview the Port Facility Security Officer and other personnel.
The overall aim was to identify specific needs related to the implementation of relevant maritime security instruments, including specific requirements set out in SOLAS chapter XI-2 and the ISPS Code (policy/ governance/ operational/ physical security level) and address any gaps related to national organization, legislation and physical security and operational aspects. A road map was agreed for future activities.
Other States in the region have also expressed an interest in undergoing needs assessments and these are currently in the planning stages.
In addition to choosing cleaner, greener fuels, utilizing onshore power supply service (also known as "cold ironing", "alternative maritime power" and "shore-side electricity), is another solution to reduce air pollution and emissions from ships, as well as limiting local noise. IMO is addressing the need for global standards for the process of providing shoreside electrical power to a ship at berth, while its main and auxiliary engines are turned off. Draft guidelines on safe operation of on-shore power supply to ships are set to be finalized by the Sub-Committee on Ship Systems and Equipment (SSE), which meets this week (2-6 March).
Turning to passenger and crew safety matters, the Sub-Committee is expected to finalize draft amendments to the Life-Saving Appliance (LSA) Code on ventilation requirements for survival craft and related draft amendments to the Revised recommendation on testing of life-saving appliances, to ensure a habitable environment is maintained in such survival craft.
The Sub-Committee is also working to prevent accidents related to lifting appliances and anchor handling winches, which have caused harm to operators and damage to ships, cargo, shore-based structures and subsea structures, as well as to the marine environment. The session is set to complete draft guidelines for lifting appliances, as well as draft guidelines for anchor handling winches. The guidelines will complement draft SOLAS regulations which are due to be submitted to the Maritime Safety Committee (MSC) for approval and adoption.
On fire safety, the Sub-Committee will continue its work to minimize the incidence and consequences of fires on ro-ro passenger ships, following a number of serious accidents that occurred recently. The session is expected to further develop draft amendments to the SOLAS Convention and associated codes to enhance fire prevention, detection and extinction.
The SSE 7 meeting was opened by IMO Secretary-General Kitack Lim and is being chaired by Mr. Umut Senturk (Turkey). See photos.
Effective assessment of maritime security risks is important when developing maritime security policy and operational procedures. A regional maritime security risk assessment workshop in the Caribbean (27-28 February) brought together government maritime security officials from six countries * in the eastern Caribbean to learn risk assessment methodology as part of the development of their own national maritime security strategies. The workshop taught participants how to assess the threat from different hostile actors, how to determine the consequences of a successful attack and how to rank diverse maritime security risks, including theft from historic shipwrecks and the smuggling of weapons and narcotics, through to acts of terrorism against ships and port facilities. The countries will use this training to compile national maritime risk audit matrixes, which in turn will feed into a regional maritime risk audit matrix and assist with the development of an overarching Eastern Caribbean regional maritime security strategy, under the auspices of the Organisation of American States (OAS) and the Regional Security System (RSS) - a regional security grouping representing, and with staff drawn from, seven countries**.
IMO facilitated the regional workshop and brought in experts from the UK Department for Transport to lead elements of the training.
IMO will be working with OAS and the RSS to facilitate the development of the national and regional strategies in 2020 and will also assist countries in the region and the RSS in identifying and exploiting opportunities to raise the level of maritime security across the region.
* Antigua and Barbuda, Barbados, Grenada, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines.
** the six countries above plus the Commonwealth of Dominica.
Meeting the ambitious goals in IMO's initial GHG strategy to cut emissions from ships will need a range of solutions, from engine design to port infrastructure to support the generation and storage of future fuels, such as renewable ammonia. These were among the future pathways discussed at an expert workshop held at the World Maritime University (WMU), in Malmö, Sweden (26-27 February), jointly organised with the OECD's International Transport Forum (ITF) and Nordic Energy Research.
Also discussed were innovative ways of financing on board tests with new low carbon fuels, involving large cargo owners and multi nationals and spreading the financial benefits from energy consumption reduction between ship owners and charterer.
The IMO GHG Strategy is driving global regulations and R&D to support the decarbonization of international shipping. The next formal discussions at IIMO will take place at the seventh meeting of the Intersessional Working Group on Reduction of GHG Emissions from Ships, which meets 23-27 March 2020 – just before and back to back with the next Marine Environment Protection Committee session, MEPC 75 (30 March to 3 April 2020).
A representative from the IMO Secretariat attended the expert workshop on prospects for energy and maritime transport in the Nordic region - achieving the goals of the initial IMO strategy on reduction of GHG emissions from ships, which brought together representatives from the government sector, industry (including shipowners, fuel providers, and engine builders), civil society and academia.
The introduction of invasive aquatic organisms into new marine environments not only affects biodiversity and ecosystem health, but also has measurable impacts on several economic sectors. That is why IMO's GloFouling Partnership project is tackling this problem, head on.
Sri Lanka is the latest country to form a National Task Force to tackle the issue, following a special workshop (25-27 February). The event helped to raise awareness of biofouling as a pathway for non-indigenous species and informed participants about the impact it can have along its coastline. Among those attending were port authority and shipyard officers, aquaculture and environmental authorities as well as academia, navy and the industry at large.
The workshop also examined IMO Biofouling Guidelines, project structures and partners and the role of Sri Lanka as a leading country within the Glofouling project. A guest lecturer presented Australia's experience in dealing with biofouling management.
The event concluded with Sri Lanka agreeing on the need to include biofouling management measures to the set of conventions that are already in the process of being incorporated into national legislation in Sri Lanka.
The workshop was co-organized and hosted by the Sri Lanka Marine Environment Protection Authority (MEPA). It is part of efforts under the GEF-UNDP-IMO GloFouling Partnerships Project, which aims to establish regional partnerships and cooperation agreements to address marine biofouling issues.
Following reports received regarding the impacts on the shipping industry of the sudden and rapid outbreak of the Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), IMO has issued a Circular Letter advising Member States and others on implementation and enforcement of relevant IMO Instruments.
The letter urges Flag State authorities, port State authorities and control regimes, companies and shipmasters to cooperate, in the current context of the outbreak, to ensure that, where appropriate, passengers can be embarked and disembarked, cargo operations can occur, ships can enter and depart shipyards for repair and survey, stores and supplies can be loaded, certificates can be issued and crews can be exchanged.
The principles of avoiding unnecessary restrictions or delay on port entry to ships, persons and property on board are contained in articles I and V and section 6 of the annex to IMO’s Facilitation Convention.
IMO will continue to monitor the situation closely and will provide additional information as and when appropriate.
IMO Secretary-General Kitack Lim has spoken of the “urgent need” to develop concrete measures to support IMO’s initial strategy to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from shipping.
Delivering a keynote address at the European Shipping Week in Brussels (20 February), Mr Lim said that “ambitious regulatory targets – adopted by IMO and backed up by technical cooperation and capacity building activities – will act as the catalyst for technology, triggering research, development and innovation.”
He added “zero emission shipping requires the development, widespread availability and affordability of new zero-carbon marine fuels or propulsion technologies, such as renewable hydrogen, ammonia or wind propulsion.”
In a wide ranging speech, Mr Lim also spoke of the collaborative efforts by IMO and other stakeholders to ensure shipping’s transition to low-sulphur fuels has gone smoothly, and once again stressed the major health benefits of the move.
He also spoke of the potential benefits of introducing new technology in shipping and of the continuing need to place seafarer issues – including gender equality – front and centre of future policy making.
He concluded with a rallying call for more collaboration to build a truly sustainable future for shipping.
Maritime security threats are not solved at sea. The majority need to be primarily addressed ashore, with ports playing a key part in the solution. This is the basis of a new national workshop on maritime security risk management being piloted by IMO in Denpasar, Indonesia (17-21 February).
It is designed to help participants counter threats in the maritime domain, which include terrorist attacks, piracy and armed robbery as well as challenges of increased drug trafficking, smuggling of weapons, and migration. The solutions include putting appropriate protocols in place to secure access control to the port and the ships as part of security measures and risk assessments.
The training sets out that an important part of risk management as a whole is to correctly prioritize limited resources and available time, in order to take action to reduce the most important risks.
To help States manage and mitigate risks, IMO has developed appropriate rules and guidelines, including the SOLAS Convention and the ISPS Code* (find out more), supplemented by newer guidance in the IMO Guide to maritime security.
During the workshop, the new Benoa Sea Passenger Cruise Terminal was the site of an on-scene assessment conducted by participants. The event was co-organized with the governments of Indonesia, Australia and United Kingdom.
One of the main aims of the 2006 Maritime Labour Convention (MLC) is to provide comprehensive protection for seafarers’ rights. Although adopted by the International Labour Organization (ILO), it touches on a wide range of areas that are also of direct relevance to IMO, such as hours of work and rest, entitlement to repatriation, abandonment of seafarers and safe manning.
IMO and ILO enjoy a long history of working together on seafarer issues and the latest example of this UN-system collaboration is a workshop underway in Lisbon, Portugal (18-20 February), organized together with the European Commission and the European Maritime Safety Agency (EMSA). The workshop is helping all stakeholders, particularly, developing countries, build the capacity they need to ratify and implement the MLC. In this regard, IMO funded the participation at the workshop of thirteen developing countries.
A key objective of the workshop is to help strengthen and harmonize flag State compliance, as well as port State control, which is a vital mechanism for ensuring the provisions of the MLC are being properly implemented on board ships. Another is to address financial security and insurance obligations under the MLC, and encourage any deficiencies discovered to be properly reported through the appropriate channels. The role of the IMO World Maritime University, the International Maritime Law Institute and the ILO Training Centre in Turin, in supporting effective implementation, is also being highlighted.
IMO’s ongoing work to counter piracy/armed robbery against ships and other illicit activities at sea is underway at the Mohammed Bin Naif Academy for Maritime Science and Security Studies, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia (9-27 February).
Participants from 18 countries* are sharing best practices and learning skills to deal with maritime crimes at sea – including piracy/robbery, drug trafficking, marine terrorism, weapons smuggling, human trafficking and more.
It is the second time that countries across three regions have been invited to participate in such an event, which is primarily intended for countries implementing the Djibouti Code of Conduct (DCoC) and its Jeddah Amendment.
The training has been extended to participants from countries involved in the West and Central Africa Code of Conduct and the Regional Cooperation Agreement on Combating Piracy and Armed Robbery against Ships in Asia (ReCAAP).
Female participants from Kenya, Philippines, Saudi Arabia and Seychelles, took part in the training at the Academy for the first time. This followed commitments made by Saudi Arabia to support last year’s World Maritime Day 2019 theme “Empowering Women in the Maritime Community” which raised awareness of the importance of gender equality, in line with the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals, and to highlight the important of the yet under-utilized contribution of women.
* Bahrain, Cameroon, Comoros, Djibouti, Egypt, Jordan, Kenya, Mauritius, Mozambique, Oman, Nigeria, Philippines, Saudi Arabia, Seychelles, Somalia, Sri Lanka, United Rep of Tanzania, Yemen
Removing barriers to women joining the maritime sector, the importance of education and how to increase visibility of women in maritime leadership roles – these were some of the key challenges under the spotlight at a major symposium at IMO Headquarters in London (19 February).
The symposium was part of IMO’s continuing efforts to maintain momentum in empowering women in the maritime community, and follow the 2019 IMO Assembly resolution to preserve the legacy of the 2019 World MaritimeTheme and work towards a barrier-free environment for women throughout the maritime sector. It also reflected the 2020 World Maritime theme - sustainable shipping for sustainable planet - by focusing on the fifth Sustainable Development Goal, gender equality.
Participants from all over the world had the opportunity to hear and question three specialists on the subject – Professor Dr. Helen Thanopoulou, Head of Operations Management of Shipping Companies at the University of the Aegean of Greece; Ms. Sanchez Porras, Director General of the Mexican Trust for Training and Education of Merchant Marine Personnel; and Professor Dr. So-hyun Jo of the Korea Maritime and Ocean University.
The event was organised by the Republic of Korea and IMO, with support from Mexico, Georgia, Canada and South Africa. Click for photos.
Finland has become the latest State to become Party to the Cape Town Agreement on fishing vessel safety.
The Agreement outlines regulations designed to protect the safety of crews and observers and provides a level playing field for the industry while setting standards for fishing vessels of 24 meters length and over.
The treaty will enter into force 12 months after at least 22 States, with an aggregate 3,600 fishing vessels of 24 meters in length and over operating on the high seas have expressed their consent to be bound by it. With Finland’s accession, 14 countries have ratified the Agreement.
Finland’s accession follows IMO’s October 2020 conference on fishing vessel safety in Torremolinos, Spain, during which nearly 50 States signed the Torremolinos Declaration to publicly indicate their determination to ensure the Cape Town Agreement will enter into force by the tenth anniversary of its adoption (11 October 2022).
The entry into force is expected to improve safety at sea in the fisheries sector worldwide. It will also be a useful tool in combatting illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing and reducing pollution from fishing vessels, including marine debris.
H.E. Mr. Markku Keinänen, Ambassador and Permanent Representative of Finland to IMO, met IMO Secretary-General Kitack Lim to deposit the instrument of accession, at IMO Headquarters, London (18 February).
IMO 2020, the 0.50% limit of sulphur in ships' fuel oil, has been in effect since 1 January 2020, cutting sulphur oxide emissions from ships operating worldwide. From 1 March 2020, the carriage ban on non-compliant fuel oil (except for ships with exhaust gas cleaning systems installed) will enter into force, helping to support implementation of the global sulphur limit. To support the safe and consistent sampling of fuel oil being carried for use, and the enforcement of the carriage ban, IMO’s Sub-Committee on Pollution Prevention and Response (PPR), meeting this week (17-21 February) at IMO headquarters, will finalize draft guidelines for the verification of the sulphur content of the fuel oil carried for use on board a ship.
The Sub-Committee will also continue its work on revising the 2015 Guidelines for exhaust gas cleaning systems (also known as “scrubbers”). The revision is aimed at enhancing the uniform application of the guidelines, in light of recent technical developments and experience gathered from approvals and operation of such alternative compliance systems.
Work on evaluating and harmonizing rules and guidance on the discharges from exhaust gas cleaning systems will begin. To assist the discussions, a report from a task team established by the Joint Group of Experts on the Scientific Aspects of Marine Environmental Protection (GESAMP) has been submitted. This report contains the conclusions of the task team in relation to the available evidence on the environmental effects of discharge water from exhaust gas cleaning systems, as well as recommendations on the data, tools and approach that could be used as basis for conducting a risk assessment of the possible effects of discharges.
Marine biosafety is also high on the agenda. The Sub-Committee will review a proposed amendment to the IMO Convention for the Control of Harmful Anti-fouling Systems on Ships (AFS Convention), to include controls on the biocide cybutryne. The AFS Convention already prohibits the use of biocides using organotin compounds.
IMO’s work to prevent the spread of potentially harmful invasive aquatic species is continuing. The Sub-Committee will be revising the guidance on commissioning testing of ballast water management systems. Such systems may be used on ships to meet the requirements of IMO’s Ballast Water Management Convention, which has been in force since 2017 and aims to prevent the spread of harmful species in ballast water.
Invasive species can also hitch a ride on the outside of ships. The Sub-Committee will begin its review of the IMO Biofouling Guidelines, which provide a globally consistent approach to the management of biofouling – the accumulation of various aquatic organisms on ships’ hulls.
The Sub-Committee will carry on with agenda items aimed at minimizing the impact of shipping on the fragile Arctic environment. It is expected to progress work on developing measures to reduce the risks of use and carriage of heavy fuel oil as fuel by ships in Arctic waters; and on reducing the impact on the Arctic of Black Carbon emissions from international shipping.
The meeting was opened by IMO Secretary-General Kitack Lim and is being chaired by Dr Flavio Da Costa Fernandes (Brazil). Click for photos.
More women are joining the maritime ranks in a variety of professions within the industry. To encourage this trend and with a view to continuing the momentum to empower women in the maritime community, IMO is supporting a training course aimed at female officials from maritime and port authorities.
Twenty-two women from 10 francophone countries in Africa*, took part in the two-week "Women in Port Management" course, hosted in Le Havre, France (27 January - 7 February). The course covered lectures on port management, port security, marine environment, facilitation of maritime traffic, marketing, port logistics and other topics. Participants learnt about the necessary skills required to improve the management and operational efficiency of their ports.
Visits were organized to the Port of Le Havre and the Port of Rouen, giving participants the chance 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 port management course was delivered through IMO's Women in Maritime programme in partnership with the Port Institute for Education and Research (IPER) and the Le Havre Port Authority. It comes as part of IMO's ongoing and increasing efforts to support the UN Sustainable Development Goal number five: achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls.
To date, 355 women have received training under this activity through 16 training courses held at IPER.
*Algeria, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Côte d'Ivoire, Djibouti, Guinea, Madagascar, Senegal, Seychelles and Togo.
For a ship to be considered seaworthy and safe it must be designed to remain stable and afloat in all conditions, whether intact or damaged. Mandatory criteria and recommended provisions regarding intact stability are set out in IMO's 2008 Intact Stability (IS) Code. Now, advanced computer technology is enabling so-called "second generation" intact stability criteria to be developed, for a comprehensive safety assessment of ship dynamics in waves.
IMO's Sub-Committee on Ship Design and Construction (SDC 7), meeting at IMO Headquarters (3-7 February), is expected to finalize a comprehensive set of interim guidelines on second generation intact stability criteria, including guidelines on vulnerability criteria, direct stability failure assessment and operational measures. The aim is to produce a set of guidelines for trial use. The session will also further develop associated explanatory notes.
The Sub-Committee is also set to finalize draft amendments to the Revised Explanatory Notes to SOLAS chapter II-1 subdivision and damage stability regulations.
Among other agenda items, the meeting is expected to finalize a draft new SOLAS chapter XV and a new draft International Code of Safety for Ships Carrying Industrial Personnel (IP Code). The Code will supplement existing IMO instruments, in order to facilitate safe carriage and safe transfer for industrial personnel employed in the offshore and energy sectors, such as for the construction, maintenance, decommissioning, operation or servicing of offshore facilities.
Safety recommendations for non-SOLAS ships operating in Polar waters, not currently covered by the Polar Code, are also on the agenda. The Sub-Committee will consider two sets of draft recommendations: for pleasure yachts above 300 gross tonnage not engaged in trade, operating in polar waters; and for safety measures for fishing vessels of 24 m in length and over. The latter will supplement the 2012 Cape Town Agreement, which will bring in a global regime of safety standards for fishing vessels when it comes into force.
The SDC Sub-Committee was opened by IMO Secretary-General Kitack Lim and is being chaired by Kevin Hunter (United Kingdom). Click for photos.
Improving west, central and southern African countries’ ability to prepare and respond to oil spills is key to protecting the marine and shoreline environment in the region.
This is where the GI WACAF* project comes in – a cooperation between IMO and IPIECA, the global oil and gas industry association for advancing environmental and social performance.
Want to know how GI WACAF works with relevant national authorities in 22 African countries? Go to the brand-new website www.giwacaf.net to find out everything from latest news and progress map, to country profiles, conventions and publications.
Support for these countries includes helping to designate authorities in charge; ratifying relevant international conventions; and developing a National Oil Spill Contingency Plan. GI WACAF also runs training courses and exercises, and supports the structuring of regional agreements.
To-date more than 5,000 people have been trained under the project in over 100 activities across the 22 countries.
* The Global Initiative for West, Central and Southern Africa