Mexico has hosted a five-day workshop on IMO's International Ship and Port Facility Security Code (ISPS Code), which sets out preventive security measures in case of threats to ships and port facilities.
Designated authority and port facility security officers had the chance to improve their knowledge and understanding through practical exercises as well as class-based training in how to implement the relevant provisions of the ISPS Code, SOLAS Chapter XI-2 and related guidance. The participants will now be equipped with the necessary skills to train others with similar responsibilities.
The national workshop, which was conducted at the request of the National Maritime Authority of Mexico (SEMAR), concluded today in Lázaro Cárdenas (16-20 April) – assisted by a team of IMO consultants.
Iranian officials responsible for implementing IMO standards on air pollution and greenhouse gas emissions from shipping are undergoing IMO training at a national workshop in Tehran, Islamic Republic of Iran (16-18 April).
Around 30 participants from the country’s Ports and Maritime Organization (PMO), Department of Environment and numerous ports are taking part.
They are being trained on the IMO treaty restricting air pollution from ships as well as ship energy-efficiency measures – MARPOL Annex VI. This includes measures addressing sulphur oxide (SOx) and nitrogen oxide (NOx), which have been successful in lowering the amount of those pollutants being emitted from ships.
The event was hosted by the PMO and run by IMO’s Astrid Dispert and a consultant. It is funded and carried out as part of IMO’s on-going technical cooperation work – under the Organization’s Integrated Technical Cooperation Programme.
Find out more about IMO and low carbon shipping and air pollution control, here.
Cyprus’ President, H.E. Mr. Nicos Anastasiades, visited IMO Headquarters, London, today (18 April), touring the building, meeting senior staff and exchanging ideas about the future of shipping.
The President was received by IMO Secretary-General Kitack Lim, who expressed his appreciation for Cyprus’ involvement in IMO’s work as a Member State of the Organization, and looked forward to further cooperation in the future.
Cyprus is a long-standing IMO Member State, having joined the Organization in 1973.
Photos of the visit can be found here.
Hazardous ship wrecks can cause many problems. Depending on its location, a wreck may be a hazard to navigation, potentially endangering other vessels and their crews. It may also cause substantial damage to the marine and coastal environments, depending on the nature of the cargo. On top of this, there is the issue of costs involved in marking and removing hazardous wrecks.
IMO’s Nairobi Wreck Removal Convention goes some way to resolving these issues. It covers the legal basis for States to remove, or have removed, shipwrecks, drifting ships, objects from ships at sea, and floating offshore installations.
To help spread knowledge of the specific aspects of the Convention, IMO’s Jan De Boer provided an update to the Royal Institution Of Naval Architects (RINA) on the HQS Wellington, London (9 April).
The Convention entered into force in 2015, filling a gap in the international legal framework on liability and compensation by providing the first set of uniform international rules aimed at ensuring the prompt and effective removal of wrecks located in a country’s exclusive economic zone. The Convention covers shipowners’ liability for costs of locating, marking and removal of hazardous wrecks; compulsory insurance to cover shipowner liability; the criteria for determining the hazard posed by wrecks, including environmental criteria. The treaty also includes an optional clause enabling States Parties to apply certain provisions to their territory, including their territorial sea.
The adoption of an initial strategy on the reduction of GHG emissions from ships is one of the key items on the agenda of the International Maritime Organization’s Marine Environment Protection Committee (MEPC 72), which is now under way at IMO Headquarters in London (9-13 April). The initial strategy will be a framework for all Member States, which is expected to set out the future vision for international shipping, the levels of ambition to reduce GHG emissions and guiding principles. Following discussions in an intersessional working group last week, the Committee is expected to instruct a working group to finalize the strategy for adoption.
The Committee will also address the implementation of the 0.50% sulphur limit. From 1 January 2020, the limit for sulphur in fuel oil used on board ships operating outside designated emission control areas will be reduced to 0.50% m/m (mass by mass). This will significantly reduce the amount of sulphur oxides emanating from ships and should have major health and environmental benefits. The Committee is expected to approve draft amendments to prohibit the carriage of non-compliant fuel oil (except when ships are fitted with measures such as exhaust gas cleaning systems or “scrubbers”).
Also on the busy agenda is the implementation of the Ballast Water Management (BWM) Convention, which entered into force in September 2017 and requires ships to manage their ballast water to prevent the spread of potentially harmful invasive aquatic species. The Committee is expected to adopt draft amendments to the BWM Convention which will determine the implementation schedule for installations of ballast water management systems.
The MEPC was opened by Secretary-General Kitack Lim and is being chaired by Mr. Hideaki Saito (Japan). Click for photos. Further information here.
When the communication between ships and port is smoothly run, shipments move more quickly, more easily and more efficiently. This is where IMO’s Facilitation Convention comes in. The FAL convention contains standards and recommended practices and rules for simplifying formalities, documentary requirements and procedures on ships’ arrival, stay and departure. The benefits of ratification and implementation of the FAL Convention were highlighted during a National Seminar on Facilitation of Maritime Traffic (27-29 March), held in Maputo, Mozambique. The aim was to support Mozambique to ratify the Convention, including its latest amendments. Participants were advised on the benefits of using the maritime single window and electronic data interchange to facilitate ship clearance. IMO’s Julian Abril and IMO consultants were at the seminar, which was organized by IMO and the Instituto Nacional da Marinha (INAMAR). It was attended by 50 participants from ministries with responsibilities in the clearance of ships, cargo, crew and passengers at ports of Mozambique, and private stakeholders (Escola Superior de Ciências Náuticas, Portos do Norto, LBH Mozambique LDA, MPDC Maputo Port, Ovarah Mutheko Serviços Sociedade, CLN Corredor Logistico Integrado Nacala, PIL Mozambique Bollore Transport Logis).
IMO participated in an annual maritime security exercise aimed at improving interoperability and cooperation among the maritime forces of Gulf of Guinea nations, Europe, and North and South America. The 2018 Obangame Express exercise (21-29 March) put special emphasis on encouraging navies and civilian agencies and different countries to work together, as envisaged in existing frameworks such as the Yaoundé Code of Conduct – a regional agreement against maritime crime in the Gulf of Guinea, which IMO helped to establish. IMO’s Chris Trelawny contributed to a Senior Leadership Symposium, in Libreville, Gabon, organized by the United States Naval War College in the margins of Obangame Express. Mr Trelawny addressed the symposium on the theme of “the Yaoundé Code of Conduct – Linking maritime security and development". IMO also participated in the 2018 Cutlass Express maritime security exercise, which took place in February in the vicinity of Dar es Salaam, Tanzania; Mombasa, Kenya; and the Seychelles. Participants in Obangame Express 2018 also include: Angola, Belgium, Benin, Brazil, Cabo Verde, Cameroon, Canada, Cote d’Ivoire, Democratic Republic of Congo, Denmark, France, Gabon, Gambia, Germany, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Liberia, Morocco, Namibia, Netherlands, Nigeria, Portugal, Republic of Congo, Sao Tome and Principe, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Spain, Togo, Turkey and the United States, as well as the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and the Economic Community of Central African States (ECCAS).
Ensuring that the many positive initiatives to protect the world's oceans are working in synergy is a key task for UN-Oceans, a UN interagency coordination mechanism for ocean issues. The group held its 17th annual face-to-face meeting (26-28 March) hosted by the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission of UNESCO in Paris.
The meeting has allowed UN-Oceans member organisations to exchange information on current and forthcoming activities, and to identify synergies for further collaboration. The participants also discussed how the outcomes of The Ocean Conference, including the 1400 voluntary commitments, are fully analysed and implemented.
The meeting also shared ideas on how to coalesce and encourage their activities in support of the implementation of Sustainable Development Goal 14.
The International Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development 2021-2030 also featured on the agenda to ensure ocean science can fully support countries in the achievement of SDG 14. The event concluded with reviewing the UN-Oceans terms of reference as well as its future work programme for 2018. IMO was represented by Fredrik Haag, Head, Office for London Convention/Protocol and Ocean Affairs.
World Maritime Day is celebrated all over the world and every year IMO sanctions an official “Parallel Event” to formally mark the occasion away from the Organization’s London headquarters.
This year it is the turn of Poland to host the Parallel Event, in the port city of Szczecin (13-15 June). The 2018 Parallel Event will focus on four key aspects of IMO’s overall theme for its 70th anniversary year, "IMO 70: Our Heritage – Better Shipping for a Better Future". It will examine in detail green and smart shipping, big data and cyber security, new transport routes and the future of the maritime labour market.
Poland’s Parallel Event will be hosted by the Ministry of Maritime Economy & Inland Navigation; and at the Polish Embassy in London this week (26 March), Deputy Minister Grzegorz Witkowski formally invited London-based permanent representatives to IMO to attend the June event.
Ports provide the critical interface between the ship and the shore. For maritime trade to flow effectively, this vital infrastructure needs to be secure – and this involves people at all levels. A national maritime security training workshop in Djibouti (19-23 March) included practical exercises and a site visit to a nearby port facility as well as class-based training in how to implement the relevant provisions of IMO’s code on International Ship and Port Facility Security (ISPS Code) and SOLAS Chapter XI-2 and related guidance (click for details). The workshop was held at the Djibouti Regional Maritime Training Centre, Djibouti, and was aimed at port facility security officers and other port security personnel. In addition, designated maritime security officials from the Djiboutian Maritime Authority were involved in the training, to gain insight into their oversight roles and responsibilities.
The training was organized by IMO at the request of the Djiboutian Maritime Authority and was conducted by IMO’s Kiruja Micheni and a team of consultants.
How to cut the numbers of stowaways in African ports was the subject of a regional IMO seminar in Yaoundé, Cameroon this week (20-22 March). The event gathered representatives from nine ports* to share the actions they have taken since 2014 – when similar IMO events took place in Abidjan and Durban.
Stowaway incidents continue to have a significant impact on safe ship operation and on the life and health of stowaways. Incidents cause considerable difficulties for shipmasters, shipping companies, shipowners and ship operators in disembarking stowaways from ships into the care of appropriate authorities. The estimated cost of stowaways to the shipping community is over US$15 million per year.
Proper application of security measures and access controls on board ships and within port facilities can reduce the number of stowaway incidents.
The Yaoundé seminar was organized with the National Port Authority of Cameroon and the Ministry of Transport of Cameroon, and attended by a variety of interested international organizations and IMO Member States. It was opened by Cameroon’s Minister of Transport, Hon. Jean Ernest N. Bibehe, and also attended by with the Secretary of State in charge of Defence and Director-General of the National Port Authority, Mr. Josué Youmba. The seminar was conducted by IMO’s Julian Abril, Gisela Vieira and Honorat Hoba.
* Abidjan, Cape Town, Dakar, Djibouti, Durban, Lagos, Mombasa, Tema, and Takoradi
Work to address maritime security challenges in Africa’s major maritime zones is underway at a regional workshop in Victoria, Seychelles (19-23 March). Over 60 maritime security professionals from more than 30 States are attending the ACSS* event, which is designed to emphasize whole-of-Africa solutions to the maritime security challenges faced in the Gulf of Guinea, the Mediterranean, the Indian Ocean, and the Horn of Africa.
IMO’s Henrik Madsen provided an outline of two IMO-supported regional codes helping to address a range of interrelated maritime crimes and threats to security and development in Africa – the Jeddah Amendment to the Djibouti Code of Conduct, and the Code of Conduct concerning the repression of piracy, armed robbery against ships, and illicit maritime activity in west and central Africa.
Speaking at the Seychelles event, Mr. Madsen underlined that development of maritime security in Africa must be based on a solid foundation at national level, saying that "The initial focus must be on developing capability, legal frameworks and inter-agency cooperation nationally as the foundation for stronger regional cooperation. It is therefore vital that the signatory States establish their own national organizations, legal frameworks and develop their capacity in order to benefit from the maritime sector". Participants at the workshop are analysing key areas where their national approaches both align and differ, as well as identifying areas for collaboration. The workshop will help identify both the gaps between regions – including neighbouring regions – and the common elements that can be used to help close gaps and enhance maritime security.
* Africa Center for Strategic Studies (ACSS)
According to the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), fishing at sea is probably the most dangerous occupation in the world. To address this issue, a two-day regional seminar, "Joining forces in the fisheries sector: promoting safety, decent work and the fight against Illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing (IUU)", has been held (21-22 March) in Manila, Philippines.
IMO's Sandra Allnutt, Head of Marine Technology, delivered a presentation on IMO's work in promoting safety at sea. Mrs Allnutt also emphasized the longstanding cooperation with FAO and ILO through which safety recommendations have been developed and adopted on the design, construction, equipment, training and protection of fishing vessels. But she stressed that more States must comply with IMO conventions on safety at sea and greater cooperation is needed amongst the relevant stakeholders.
The event also discussed many related issues including, the protection of human rights in the fishing sector, the need for increased political commitment, the development of regional actions to fight labour abuses and ways of inter‐agency collaboration and future actions by concerned stakeholders.
The seminar was organized by the Apostleship of the Sea (AoS) and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN (FAO), in collaboration with the International Labour Organization (ILO) and the International Maritime Organization (IMO).
Human activity increases the amount of nitrogen that reaches the oceans by 50%, on top of natural processes, according to a new report which assesses the magnitude and impacts of anthropogenic atmospheric nitrogen inputs to the ocean.
The study by the Joint Group of Experts on the Scientific Aspects of Marine Environmental Protection (GESAMP), a United Nations advisory body, provides a new estimate of the extent that human beings are altering the cycling of nitrogen in the oceans. Extra nitrogen is reaching the oceans through rain or dust fall, as a result of fossil fuel burning and intensive agriculture.
The natural process of nitrogen fixation is essential for life. Inert nitrogen gas in the earth’s atmosphere dissolves in the ocean, where it is converted into reactive nitrogen forms used by living marine organisms as nutrients for growth and development.
However, too much extra nitrogen in particular ocean areas can cause problems such as algal blooms and the release of the greenhouse gas nitrous oxide.
The atmospheric input of reactive forms of nitrogen to the ocean is now estimated to be almost four times that in 1850. In areas of high emissions to the atmosphere, such as in Southeast Asia, Europe and North America, human-induced increases in reactive nitrogen deposition to the ocean are proportionately higher.
The report suggests that current human nitrogen emissions may remain relatively stable on a global basis through 2050, but more research is needed, particularly in the Northwest Pacific and Northern Indian Ocean. These are areas of the oceans that currently receive high inputs of atmospheric nitrogen and where there are also likely to be substantial changes in the future, with potential impacts at regional and global scales. Areas of the Mediterranean and North Atlantic are also candidates for further research, due to the particular nature of the additional nitrogen deposition in those areas, influenced by different levels of phosphorus and iron.
The report, The Magnitude and Impacts of Anthropogenic Atmospheric Nitrogen Inputs to the Ocean, is published by the World Metrological Organization (WMO) and can be downloaded from the GESAMP website here.
How can ports cut emissions to ensure cleaner air and contribute to the battle against climate change? First, ports need to quantify emissions in ports, then they need to identify measures to cost-effectively reduce port-related emissions. A strategic partnership between the IMO-executed GloMEEP energy efficiency project and the International Association of Ports and Harbors (IAPH) is helping selected countries to develop port emission inventories and subsequently draw up a port emission reduction strategy.
A new three-day workshop package on the “Prevention and control of shipping and port air emissions” is being developed as part of the GloMEEP-IAPH strategic partnership. Training will begin in May 2018 and will be rolled out to the ten lead pilot countries participating in the GloMEEP project. The workshops will train port personnel in how to develop an inventory of emissions in a port, and subsequently how to develop a strategy to address emissions from ports, based on two technical guides which are also being developed (Guide for assessment of emissions in ports; and Guide for the development of port emissions reductions strategies).
The workshop package is designed for port personnel and aims to increase their awareness about maritime energy efficiency from a port perspective and show how port management, port infrastructure development and port logistical systems contribute to overall maritime energy efficiency and air quality.
The GloMEEP team, Astrid Dispert and Minglee Hoe, met (19 March) with experts representing IAPH, from the Port of Los Angeles, the Port of Long Beach and Starcrest Consultancy Group, to further develop the draft workshop package and guides.
GloMEEP technical adviser Astrid Dispert outlined the prospective new training course and the ongoing collaboration between GloMEEP and IAPH at the 5th Pacific Ports Clean Air Collaborative (PPCAC) Conference, hosted by the Port of Los Angeles, United States (20-22 March).
GloMEEP is a GEF-UNDP-IMO project aimed at supporting the uptake and implementation of energy efficiency measures for shipping, thereby reducing greenhouse gas emissions from shipping. The Lead Pilot Countries of the GloMEEP project are: Argentina, China, Georgia, India, Jamaica, Malaysia, Morocco, Panama, Philippines and South Africa.
Sustainable use of the oceans, maritime trade, and the digital revolution were some of the issues addressed by IMO Secretary-General Kitack Lim at the International Shipping Summit in Istanbul, Turkey (17 March).
In his opening address to maritime industry and government representatives from around the world, Secretary-General Lim spoke about how IMO, in its leadership role as the global regulator of shipping, is and will be addressing a number of challenges facing the shipping industry.
On the marine environment, he said that to be sustainable, human activities have to be balanced with the oceans' capacity to remain healthy and diverse in the long term – and that a major part of IMO's role is to ensure that shipping continues to make its contribution to the global economy without upsetting that delicate balance. He highlighted IMO’s work on GHG emissions and ship energy-efficiency, ballast water management, and polar shipping.
He also emphasized that improving ports, developing and strengthening inter-modal links and hinterland connections can both drive and support a growing economy, through promoting trade by sea. And on the digital revolution – Mr. Lim said that the shipping industry is entering a new era, through new, emerging technology in areas such as fuel and energy use, automation and vessel management, materials and construction.
The Summit also saw IMO’s Jan De Boer take part in a special session on the marine environment. Mr. De Boer provided an outline of IMO’s HNS Convention on transporting hazardous and noxious substances (HNS) by sea – in anticipation of Turkey’s upcoming ratification of the treaty.
The Summit was organized by the Turkish Ministry of Transport, Maritime and Communications, and opened by Prime Minister of Turkey, Binali Yıldırım, with Transport Minister, Mr. Ahmet Arslan, also speaking at the opening ceremony.
Cooperation amongst various government agencies can be key to achieving maximum maritime security enforcement. This was the theme running through the latest national table-top exercise on maritime security, held in Lagos, Nigeria (14-16 March). Representatives from various government agencies which form the national implementation committee for the International ship and Port Facilities Security (ISPS) Code participated in the workshop. The findings and recommendations from this exercise will help form the basis of a maritime security strategy. This forms part of a project to strengthen the Nigerian Criminal Justice response to maritime crime threats which IMO is delivering in conjunction with the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), supported by funding from the Government of the United Kingdom. The table-top exercise was conducted by two IMO consultants and organized in conjunction with Nigeria Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), and aimed to build on a maritime security training programme which IMO delivered in Nigeria from 2015-2017.
A four-day workshop on how to best design and conduct maritime security drills and exercises, has been held in Kingston, Jamaica (13-16 March). The aim of the event was to equip participants with the necessary skills and knowledge to plan, conduct and assess security drills and exercises in their port facilities, in accordance with the requirements of the International Ship and Port Facility Security (ISPS) Code.
The workshop included live role-playing sessions with various communication equipment, with participants taking turns acting as "players" and "controllers" respectively. It demonstrated to practitioners how to make use of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Manual of Maritime Security Drills and Exercises for Port Facilities in their work. The newly learned activities will continue to help port facility security officers and personnel, as well as designated authority officials, to improve and test existing procedures and practices in order to maintain vigilance and security awareness in ports.
IMO maritime security training is underway for port facility security officers, managers and designated authority officials in Santo Domingo City, Dominican Republic (12-16 March). Run by IMO in collaboration with the Dominican Republic Ministry of Defence*, the workshop is training participants on how to perform their duties in line with IMO’s code on International Ship and Port Facility Security (ISPS Code) and SOLAS Chapter XI-2 (click for details). Participants are also being taught to train other officials with similar responsibilities.
The workshop follows a 2016 national table top exercise on maritime security, organized in cooperation with the United Nations Regional Centre for Peace, Disarmament and Development in Latin America and the Caribbean (UNLIREC). The 2016 exercise identified a number of recommendations for further training, parts of which are being addressed by this week’s workshop.
Find out more about IMO's security work, here.
* Cuerpo Especializado de Seguridad Portuaria
The Latin America Maritime Technology Cooperation Centre, part of a global network established under an ambitious IMO-EU project to further efforts to combat climate change, has been launched in Panama (13 March). The centre, hosted by the Universidad Marítima Internacional de Panamá (UMIP), is one of five such centres established under the GMN project, which is funded by the European Union (EU) and run by IMO.
The centres, in Africa, Asia, the Caribbean, Latin America and the Pacific regions, act as regional focal points for a wide range of activities. These include, improving compliance with existing and future international energy-efficiency regulations; promoting uptake of low-carbon technologies and operations in maritime transport, and establishing voluntary pilot data-collection and reporting systems to feed back into the global regulatory process. In doing so, they will play their part in supporting the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
The Latin America Maritime Technology Cooperation Centre – or MTCC-Latin America – was launched at the host institute at a special event attended by representatives of the European Union, the Government of Panama, non-governmental organizations and academia as well as representatives from 17 countries in the region.
Speaking at the launch event, IMO’s Jose Matheickal said, “The global network of MTCCs will promote understanding and knowledge of technologies and operations to improve energy efficiency in the maritime sector and will help to navigate shipping into a low-carbon future.”
Also speaking during the launch ceremony was the Minister of Maritime Affairs of Panama and Administrator of the Panama Maritime Authority, Mr. Jorge Barakat, who congratulated IMO for its efforts toward the promotion of a more energy-efficient maritime industry and reaffirmed the support of the Panama Maritime Authority. He said, “The Panamanian maritime administration is proud and pleased with the inauguration of this regional centre.”
The launch was followed by the first regional workshop to be run by MTCC-Latin America (13-15 March). Participants will be updated on the GMN project, share experiences of implementing IMO’s energy efficiency regulation and discuss constraints and opportunities.
More info on the European Union’s capacity building work can be found here.
Find out more about the GMN project and the five centres at gmn.imo.org
IMO has joined leading oil spill experts and stakeholders to discuss future issues concerning oil spill preparedness, response and restoration – at the Interspill 2018 conference and exhibition in London (13-15 March).
Speaking at the opening session, IMO Secretary-General Kitack Lim said that “many years of collaborative work between governments and industry, at IMO, have helped reduce dramatically the number of oil spills and the amount of oil spilt from ships”. Mr. Lim outlined how individual incidents had been catalysts for significant improvements, through IMO regulations, in areas such as ship design, operation, disposal of engine room wastes, as well as the framework for compensating the victims of pollution incidents.
He also highlighted IMO’s continuing support, with assistance from a number of key partners, to countries to improve their capacity in preparing for, and dealing with, major incidents that might result in pollution damage.
During the conference, IMO’s Patricia Charlebois will present contributions of GESAMP as part of the science workshop on hazardous and noxious substances (HNS) pollution, and Colleen O’Hagan will chair a session on government/industry partnerships.
Additionally, IMO’s latest environment-related publications, e-reader software (IMO Bookshelf) and IMO News Magazine are being showcased at by IMO Publishing’s Lee-Ann Dell and Sally McElhayer. The team are sharing a stand with the IOPC Funds. IMO and IOPC Funds are co-sponsors of the Interspill event.
Plugging a ship into shore-side power - and turning off onboard generators - is one solution to reducing air pollution from ships, as well as limiting local noise. IMO is this week beginning to look at the safety aspects of on shore power supply to ships, also known as “cold ironing”, “alternative maritime power” and “shore-side electricity”. The Sub-Committee on Ship Systems and Equipment (SSE), meeting 12-16 March, has been instructed to develop guidelines on the safe operation of cold ironing and to consider developing any necessary draft amendments to the Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS) convention.
On other matters, the Sub-Committee is expected to finalize draft new requirements for ventilation of totally enclosed lifeboats. This important work is aimed at ensuring that a habitable environment is maintained in such survival craft. The meeting will also consider specific conditions and performance criteria for life-saving appliances and arrangements intended for use in polar waters, following the entry into force of IMO’s Polar Code.
Fire protection issues on the agenda include the ongoing review of current SOLAS regulations and associated codes to minimize the incidence and consequences of fires on new and existing ro-ro passenger ships, specifically in the ro-ro spaces and special category spaces.
Mandatory requirements for onboard lifting appliances and anchor handling winches are also on the agenda. The Sub-Committee is expected to identify where draft requirements should be included in the SOLAS treaty and further develop draft related guidelines.The SSE 5 meeting was opened by IMO Secretary-General Kitack Lim and is being chaired by Dr. Susumu Ota (Japan). See photos.
The Plurinational State of Bolivia has become the 104th country to join the International Mobile Satellite Organization (IMSO), the inter-governmental body that oversees the provision of certain satellite-based maritime distress communication services. The IMSO Convention was adopted by IMO in 1976 to establish and oversee satellite communications for shipping. Ms. Giovanna Lenny Vidal, Chargée d'Affaires, met IMO Secretary-General Kitack Lim and IMSO Director General Capt. Moin Ahmed (pictured: right) to deposit the instrument of accession to the Convention.
Officials from various government entities in the Philippines have received training in how to develop a National Maritime Transport Policy (NMPT). The concept is being promoted by IMO as a good governance practice to guide planning, decision making and legislation in the maritime sector, and as a key driver for a country's sustainable development. The event took place in Manila, Philippines (6-8 March), organised by IMO together with the Philippines Maritime Industry Authority (MARINA) and the World Maritime University (WMU).
The training comes at an opportune moment – with the Philippines in the process of adopting its Maritime Industry Development Plan (MIDP) 2018-2028 – designed to enhance the country’s maritime industry. Forty-five officials took part in the Manila event, which was run by IMO’s Josephine Uranza and WMU’s Professor Neil Bellefontaine and Associate Professor Henning Jessen.
Non-native species can be spread from ocean to ocean via ship. They may be carried via ballast water or attach to the hulls and other parts of ships, hitching a ride across the oceans. IMO is addressing this problem through the Ballast Water Management (BWM) Convention, which entered into force in September 2017 and requires ships to manage their ballast water to limit the spread of aquatic organisms. Also, IMO’s Biofouling Guidelines address bioinvasions via ships’ hulls. The joint International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES), Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission of UNESCO and IMO (ICES/IOC/IMO) Working Group on Ballast and Other Ship Vectors, discussed various topics related to the management of both ballast water and biofouling, which are the two vectors for ship-mediated introductions of invasive aquatic species, at its annual meeting, held in Madeira, Portugal (5-7 March). IMO’s Theofanis Karayannis updated the meeting on the latest developments and outcomes on ballast water management from recent IMO meetings, including the Marine Environment Protection Committee (MEPC 71) and the Sub-Committee on Pollution Prevention and Response (PPR 5), as well as expected discussions at MEPC 72 to be held in April. Mr Karayannis also outlined the GEF-UNDP-IMO GloFouling Partnerships Project which will aim at building capacity in developing countries for improved implementation of biofouling management. The Project is in its preparatory phase, selecting the recipient countries and designing the list of activities that will be carried out once the full-size Project is launched later this year.