Sub-Committee on Human Element, Training and Watchkeeping (HTW 12) - Closing remarks

ADDRESS OF THE SECRETARY-GENERAL AT THE CLOSING OF THE TWELVETH SESSION OF THE SUB-COMMITTEE ON HUMAN ELEMENT, TRAINING AND WATCHKEEPING (HTW 12), 23 to 27 February 2026

Delivered by IMO Secretary-General Mr. Arsenio Dominguez on 27 February 2026.

Distinguished delegates,

We have come to the end of another productive session of the Sub-Committee. You have once again achieved important accomplishments to pave the way for future work.

I am pleased to highlight some of the most important results of your work this week.

You have initiated phase 2 (revision) of the comprehensive review of the STCW Convention and Code, in particular you have made good progress on the preparations to proceed with the draft amendments to chapters II and III of the Convention and Code over the upcoming week at the Intersessional Working Group. 

In addition, with regard to the STCW oversight and verification processes, agreement has been reached on additional principles and the outline for the integration of the STCW oversight system and the IMSAS framework.

Concerning the development of training provisions for seafarers working on vessels using alternative fuels and new technologies, the Sub-Committee has finalized: 

  1. interim guidelines on training for seafarers on ships using methyl/ethyl alcohols as fuel; 
  2. interim guidelines on training for seafarers on ships using ammonia as fuel; and 
  3. the workplan for the development of training provisions for seafarers on ships using alternative fuels and new technologies, including the coordination of work with the comprehensive review and the progress made by other IMO bodies relevant to this work.

Concerning the continuous work on IMO model courses, three model courses have been validated at this session, one of them to address the new standards of competence on violence and harassment, to facilitate their implementation. 

In addition, you have developed measures to enhance expert participation in the review process for the development and revision of IMO model courses.

At this moment I would like to voice special appreciation to your outgoing Chair, Mr. Haakon Storhaug of Norway. Mr. Chair, you have once again guided the Sub-Committee with skill and composure – and a sense of humour, demonstrating outstanding diplomacy and leadership in steering its work to a successful conclusion. 

As you step down as Chair, we would like to reflect with gratitude on your outstanding stewardship over the past five sessions, over the past five years. Your dedication, steady leadership and genuine commitment to advancing seafarer training and human element initiatives around the world have truly made a difference and will be remembered with gratitude. 

In particular, I recall one moment this week when I gently suggested that we might try to move a little faster. With your characteristic good humour, you replied that, as it was your final session as Chair, you would say everything you wished to say. That light-hearted exchange perfectly captured your authenticity and sense of humour.

Chair, we thank you most sincerely for your invaluable contributions to our work and the work of the Organization as a whole. While you may be stepping down from the Chair, we very much hope, and trust that we will see you again soon at IMO.

I wish to thank your Vice-Chair, Captain Berta Vargas of Panama who assumed the chairmanship of the Working Group on the comprehensive review at short notice, facing a very extensive workload and a complex subject matter. Your commitment and professionalism ensured meaningful progress on this important work for the Organization.

I would very much like to hear from you, perhaps at a later stage, whether chairing this Working Group was easier, or more challenging, than commanding a cruise ship. In any case, you navigated us safely through complex waters, and for that we are truly grateful.  

I would like to congratulate the new incoming Chair of the Sub-Committee, Attorney Sharon De Chavez-Aledo of the Philippines. We will be here to support you in your new role. 

I also thank Captain Cathleen Burns Mauro of the United States for having showed her interest in the chairpersonship. I think this shows the dedication and interest of Member States of the IMO in progressing the work we do here.

My gratitude also goes to the Chairs of the Working and Drafting Groups convened during this session:

  • Mr. Darrick Leow of Singapore;
  • Mr. Nick Makar of the Marshall Islands;
  • Mr. Jan Willem Verhoeff of the Kingdom of the Netherlands; and
  • Mr. Shaun Rogers of the United Kingdom. 

It is customary at this stage of the meeting to pay tribute to the delegates and observers who have left or are about to leave, for a variety of reasons. In saying our farewells, we thank them sincerely for their valuable contribution to the work of the Sub-Committee and IMO and wish them well. 

As always, I am grateful for the efforts of the staff of the Maritime Safety Division, for their efforts and dedication, and all the Secretariat staff who were engaged in this session. I also with to take this opportunity to thank the interpreters for their tireless commitment and once again have facilitated our seamless communication during our meeting. 

I wish you all a restful weekend and a safe journey home. For those who will remain for ISWG-STCW 2 next week, I wish you a pleasant and well-deserved weekend in preparation for the work ahead.

Thank you.

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