IMO Secretary-General Kitack Lim has stressed the vital importance of collaborative efforts to leave ‘no hiding place’ for sub-standard shipping. Mr Lim was addressing the third Joint Ministerial Conference of the Paris and Tokyo Memoranda of Understanding on Port State Control in Vancouver, Canada (3-4 May).
Port State Control is the mechanism that enables officials from a port state to board and inspect foreign-flag ships to ensure they comply with the necessary safety and environmental regulations. By sharing information and data and adopting uniform operational procedures, regional Port State Control organizations can make it harder for sub-standards ships to slip through their net. IMO actively promotes and supports strong and collaborative Port State Control.
During his visit to Canada, Mr Lim also had meetings with Mr Marc Garneau, Canada’s Transport Minister; Mr Yasutada Ohno, Japan’s Parliamentary Vice-Minister for Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism, and Mr He Jianzhong, the Chinese Vice Minister of Transport.