Thematic Exchange Day: Workshop and exhibition on technical cooperation

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IMO invited all delegates registered to the Technical Cooperation Committee (TCC) to attend the informal Thematic Exchange Day organized around four core themes: Safety, Environment, Security and Facilitation. In addition, there was a dedicated session on Financing Maritime Development. The event aimed to foster informal dialogue and networking among participants while exploring new thematic and results-based approaches to technical cooperation (TC). The event took place on 5 June 2025 at IMO Headquarters in London.

Why attend?

  • Gain a deeper understanding of technical cooperation needs and gaps across the four core themes — Safety, Environment, Security, and Facilitation — informed by IMSAS audit findings, project outcomes, and emerging trends.
  • Engage in meaningful dialogue around real-world successes and challenges encountered by Member States in the implementation of technical cooperation initiatives.
  • Connect and exchange ideas through dynamic sessions, exhibits, and interactive discussions — an opportunity to learn from the experiences of others in an informal setting.

Step into the heart of IMO’s work – connect, discover, engage

Join us in the interactive exhibition space for a unique opportunity to engage directly with staff from the IMO Secretariat, WMU, and IMLI while exploring a dynamic showcase of initiatives shaping the future of maritime development, innovation, and sustainability.

Programme and presentations

Please find the provisional agenda here.  

09:30 – 09:40 - Opening 

  • Mr. Arsenio Dominguez (Secretary-General, IMO)
  • Dr. Jose Matheickal (Director, TCID)

09:40 – 10:05 - Building blocks of a Maritime Administration: IMO Member State Audit Scheme (IMSAS) perspective

  • Ms. Tatjana Krilic (Deputy Director, Sub-division for Member State Audit and Implementation, TCID)
  • Mr. Omar Hassein (Head, Member State Audits, Subdivision for Member State Audit and Implementation, TCID)

10:05 – 11:00 - Session 1: Safety

Presentation and panel on maritime safety needs, common audit findings, and a successful case study (Vanuatu: SMART-C Leaders)

Moderator: Mr. Sukhjit Singh (Technical Officer, Subdivision for Maritime Development, TCID)

  • Mr. George Demetriades (Member State Audit Officer, Subdivision for Member State Audit and Implementation, TCID)
  • Ms. Seloni Toakuru (Acting Deputy Commissioner/ International and Legal Affairs, Vanuatu Maritime Safety Authority)
  • Ms. Precila C. Jara (Director, Overseas Shipping Service, Maritime Industry Authority, Philippines)
  • Mr. Alfredo Parroquin-Ohlson (Head, Cargoes and Technical Cooperation Coordination, MSD) 

11:00 – 11:30 – Coffee break

11:30 – 12:30 - Session 2: Environment

Presentation and panel on marine environmental needs, common audit findings, and a successful case study (Belize: NAP to reduce GHG emissions from ships)

Moderator: Mr. Tamar Barabadze (Manager, OceanLitter Programme, Subdivision for Maritime Development, TCID) 

  • Mr. Vasudevan Aji (Member State Audit Officer, Sub-division for Member State Audit and Implementation, TCID) 
  • Mr. Kaylon Young (Acting Ports Commissioner, Belize Ports Authority) 
  • Ms. Melissa Barria (Chief, Enforcement and Compliance Department, Panama Maritime Authority)
  • Mr. Auene Pinehas (Maritime Counsellor and Alternate Permanent Representative of Namibia to IMO)
  • Mr. Fredrik Haag (Head, Subdivision for Ocean Policy and Pollution Response, MED)

12:30 – 14:30 - Lunch & exhibitions

14:30 – 15:15 – Session 3: Security

Presentation and panel on maritime security national readiness, common needs, and a successful case study (Tanzania)

Moderator: Ms. Jean Ver Pia (Head, Asia and Pacific Section, Subdivision for Maritime Development TCID)

  • Ms. Gisela Vieira (Acting Head, MSD: Maritime Security Section)
  • Ms. Stella Katondo (Director for Transport Environment and Safety in the Ministry of Works and Transport, Tanzania) 
  • Mr. William Bwala Auta (Alternate Permanent Representative of Nigeria to IMO)
  • Mr. John Omingo (Alternate Permanent Representative of Kenya to IMO) 

15:15 – 16:00 – Session 4: Facilitation

Presentation and panel on maritime facilitation needs, key challenges, and a successful scase study (Antigua and Barbuda)

Moderator: Ms. Issa Mwajita (Head, Africa Section, Subdivision for Maritime Development, TCID) 

  • Mr. Julian Abril Garcia (Head, Facilitation Section, MSD) 
  • Mr. Wayne Mykoo (Deputy Director Maritime Affairs and External Relations, Antigua and Barbuda Department of Marine Services and Merchant Shipping)
  • Capt. Mazin Al Kaabi (Maritime Attaché and Alternate Permanent Representative of Iraq to IMO)

  • Ms. Nurul Fitrah Abd Rashid (Centre Director and First Secretary (Maritime), Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore)

16:00 – 16:30 - Coffee break & exhibitions

16:30 – 17:15 - Session 5: Financing Maritime Development

Presentation of a case study (From Concept to Impact – The SENSREC Project) and panel Discussion on the "Impactful Technical Cooperation through Donor's perspective"

Moderator: Ms. Gyorgyi Gurban (Head, Projects, Subdivision for Maritime Development, TCID) 

  • Capt. Kazi A.B.M Shameem (Alternate Permanent Representative of Bangladesh to the IMO)
  • Ms. Siv Christin Gaalaas (Specialty Director International Maritime Regulation and Polar Affairs, Norwegian Ministry of Trade Industry and Fisheries)
  • Mr. Pablo Mendoza-Villafuerte (Policy Officer (Transport), DG International Partnerships)
  • Mr. SuHo LEE (Alternative Permanent Representative of Republic of Korea to the IMO) 
  • Ms. Hongbin Zhang (Counsellor (Maritime) Embassy of the People's Republic of China in the UK)
  • Mr. Youngso Kim (Deputy Director, Office of Partnerships and Resource Mobilization, TCID)

17:15 – 17:25 - Synthesis & way forward

  • Dr. Jose Matheickal (Director, TCID)

17:25 – 17:30 – Closing

  • Mr. Arsenio Dominguez (Secretary-General, IMO)

17:30 - Reception