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22 October 2015

Preparing for nuclear and radiological incidents

IMO is participating in the Global Emergency Preparedness
and Response conference
(19-23 October), joining a host of international organizations in an exchange
of information on dealing with, and preparing for, nuclear and radiological
incidents. Held in Vienna, Austria, and organized by the International Atomic
Energy Agency (IAEA), the conference is covering topics such as protection
strategies, training and communications. IMO publishing was also in attendance,
promoting the publications of key IMO instruments, including the International
Maritime Dangerous Goods (IMDG)
Code, which deals with the transport of dangerous goods by sea, including the safe packaging and transport of radioactive material. more...
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22 October 2015

Developing maritime transport policy in the Pacific

A four-day workshop is being held in Suva, Fiji (20-23 October), aimed at boosting the knowledge and skills needed to develop, adopt, implement and update national maritime transport policies in relation to IMO instruments and with respect to shipping engaged in international trade. The workshop also aims to support wider regional and national maritime-related needs and objectives and show that these can be addressed while pursuing IMO-related goals. more...
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21 October 2015

Ballast water bugs under scrutiny

Participants got up close and personal with some potentially invasive species in ballast water during a practical workshop on sampling and analysis of ballast water, held in Duluth, United States (19-21 October). The IMO-GloBallast “Train-the-Trainer” workshop provided training for port State control officers and marine biologists from South America and the wider Caribbean region, in preparation for the implementation of the Ballast Water Convention. The workshop was hosted by the Great Ships Initiative (GSI) of the Northeast Midwest Institute (NEMWI). more...
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21 October 2015

IMO at ballast water management conference

IMO’s Ballast Water Management Convention is ready for implementation – that is the message delivered by IMO’s Markus Helavuori at the 13th Ballast Water Management Summit in
Rotterdam, the Netherlands (21 October). In a keynote speech addressing
shipowners, operators and other stakeholders, an update on the
convention was provided, including the points that the main obstacles
for ratification have been removed and that early entry into force would
have several benefits for all stakeholders – minimizing the risk of
invasions by alien species and providing a level playing field from a
regulatory perspective. more...
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21 October 2015

Djibouti Regional Training Centre nears completion

The Djibouti Regional Training Centre
is in the final stages of building work before its scheduled opening on
12 November 2015. IMO’s Chris Trelawny made a site visit on Wednesday
(21 October), accompanied by H.E. Tatsuo Arai, Ambassador of Japan to Djibouti and Djibouti’s Minister of Equipment and Transport, Mr. Moussa Ahmed Hassan.
The centre, envisaged as a vital component in the provision of maritime
training in the Gulf of Aden and West Indian Ocean region, is being
built by the Government of Djibouti with funds provided by IMO. The
Government of Japan is the primary donor.
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20 October 2015

Advancing ship recycling through technical cooperation

Officials from Bangladesh are in
Turkey to learn from the country’s ship recycling sector (19-22
October), in a programme facilitated by IMO under the project dealing
with the safe and environmentally sound ship recycling in Bangladesh
(SENSREC). Hosted by the Government of Turkey in Ankara and Izmir, the
visit consists of technical site visits, including waste management
centres; a seminar including sessions on IMO’s ship recycling convention
(Hong Kong Convention) and legislation issues; and meetings with ship recycling industry representatives.
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20 October 2015

National security training in Barbados

A national workshop on ‘International
Ship and Port Facility Security (ISPS) Code Training for Port Facility Personnel
with Designated Security Duties’ is being conducted in Bridgetown Port,
Barbados (19-22 October). The workshop will train such personnel to
perform their duties in accordance with relevant IMO maritime security measures, including chapter XI‐2 of SOLAS, the ISPS code and the IMO/ILO code of practice on security in ports.
Held at the request of the Ministry of International Business and
Transport of Barbados, it will also equip participants to train others
with similar responsibilities. more...
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19 October 2015

IMO at climate change summit

IMO representatives will be among climate change experts meeting in Bonn this week (19-23 October) to continue work on the draft negotiating text for a legally-binding agreement to be adopted at December’s Conference of Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change in Paris, France (COP 21). Click here for more info about IMO at COP 21.
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19 October 2015

Improving maritime situational awareness in Latin America

A regional seminar on maritime surveillance monitoring and communication systems has been held in Cartagena de Indias, Colombia (13-16 October). More than 70 participants from countries in the region attended the seminar and shared their experiences on maritime communications and ship tracking and monitoring systems for maritime security, safety of navigation, protection of the marine environment and search and rescue. more...
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