Whats New 2014
Legal considerations
IMO’s Frederick Kenney is in Lisbon, Portugal for the annual conference of the Instituto Ibero Americano de Direito Maritimo. He will be moderating a panel discussion on the IMO Legal Committee. Current Legal Committee chairman Kofi Mbiah is also in attendance.
Combating emissions in the Pacific
A three-day regional workshop on MARPOL Annex VI for Pacific States is being held in Apia, Samoa (19 - 21 November). The workshop is addressing energy efficient ship design and technical energy efficiency measures, further measures to enhance the energy efficiency of ships, shore power supply and green port initiatives and MARPOL Annex VI guidelines.
(click for more.)
(click for more.)
Board meeting
IMO Secretary-General Koji Sekimizu is in Washington DC for a meeting of the UN System Chief Executives Board for Coordination (CEB), the highest-level coordination forum of the United Nations system (20-21 November).
Implementing the London Protocol
IMO’s Fredrik Haag is in Nairobi, Kenya, with IMO regional coordinator Mr. John Paul Muindi, for a three-day regional workshop (18-20 November), on the London Protocol, with the aim of sensitising relevant authorities to the implications of ratifying, implementing and enforcing the treaty, which regulates the dumping of waste at sea from ships. (click for more.)
New Uruguayan Ambassador visits
The new Ambassador and Permanent Representative of Uruguay to IMO, H.E. Fernando López Fabregat, paid a courtesy call to IMO Headquarters today (18 November) and presented his letter of credentials to Secretary-General Sekimizu. Uruguay has been a member of IMO since 1968.
Jordan joins Maritime Satellite Convention
H.E. Mr Mazen Al-Homoud (centre), Ambassador of the
Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan to the UK, today (18 November) met IMO
Secretary-General Sekimizu at IMO HQ to deposit the instrument of accession by
Jordan to the Convention
on the International Maritime Satellite Organization (IMSO C 1976). They
were joined by Director General, Capt. Esteban Pacha-Vicente of Spain, the
Chief Executive Officer and legal representative of IMSO.
Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan to the UK, today (18 November) met IMO
Secretary-General Sekimizu at IMO HQ to deposit the instrument of accession by
Jordan to the Convention
on the International Maritime Satellite Organization (IMSO C 1976). They
were joined by Director General, Capt. Esteban Pacha-Vicente of Spain, the
Chief Executive Officer and legal representative of IMSO.
Ballast water implementation
Strategies for implementing IMO’s Ballast Water Management Convention are on the agenda today at the 7th annual Middle-East Shiptech Conference (17-18 November). IMO’s Markus Helavuori will provide an update for ship operators, flag and port authorities, engineering firms and class societies and other stakeholders on some of the key elements they will need to consider.
Maritime Safety Committee opens
IMO Secretary-General Sekimizu has opened the 94th session of the Maritime Safety Committee (MSC), which is being chaired by Mr Christian Breinholt of Denmark (see photos here). The MSC is expected to consider and adopt the Polar Code and related amendments to SOLAS to make it mandatory; approve SOLAS amendments to make the IGF Code mandatory; continue passenger ship safety work and consider other items submitted by the sub-committees. (See preview here.)
Effective networking
IMO’s Vincent Job has been at the 23rd UN Chief Executive Board’s Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Network meeting (13-14 November). Hosted by the International Organization for Migration in Geneva, the meeting examined how best to apply the transformative and innovative possibilities of ICT within the UN system in the form of a two-day workshop on "design thinking", led by external facilitators.