Whats New 2016
Romania accedes to wreck removal treaty
Romania has acceded to the Nairobi International Convention on
the Removal of Wrecks, the IMO treaty providing the legal
basis for States to remove, or have removed, shipwrecks that may threaten the
safety of lives, goods and property at sea, as well as the marine environment. more...
Panama accedes to ship recycling convention
IMO's efforts to promote safe and environmentally sound ship recycling received a boost today with Panama becoming the 5th State to accede to the Hong Kong Convention. The Convention covers the design, construction, operation and preparation of ships so as to facilitate safe and environmentally sound recycling, without compromising the safety and operational efficiency of ships. more...
France accedes to treaty relating to the carriage of passengers and their luggage by sea
France has acceded to the 2002 Athens Protocol, the IMO treaty providing for the compulsory insurance to cover passengers on ships. The Protocol raises the limits of liability and introduces other mechanisms to assist passengers in obtaining compensation, based on well-accepted principles applied in existing liability and compensation regimes. more...
IMO attending key UN migrants summit
IMO is at the high-level UN Summit for Refugees and Migrants being held at the UN Headquarters in New York, United States (19 September). IMO has produced a series of three short films examining unsafe mixed migration by sea. The films explore the following perspectives: “The migrants’ story”, “The rescuers’ story” and “The international response”. Chris Trelawny, Special Advisor on Maritime Security and Facilitation, is in New York representing IMO. more...
Addressing dumping at sea
Parties to the treaties which regulate the dumping of wastes at sea are meeting at IMO Headquarters this week (19-23 September). The meeting is expected to finalize a strategic plan to encourage ratification of the London Protocol; consider updated and Revised Specific Guidelines for the assessment of vessels; and finalize the 25-year scientific review of all radioactive wastes and other radioactive matter. Delegates will also celebrate 20 years of the London Convention, since it was adopted in 1996. (photos here) more...
Understanding fouling
A national workshop on the impacts of anti-fouling systems and of ships’ biofouling has been held in Mauritius (14-16 September). The workshop raised awareness of the issues and developed capacity for the ratification and implementation of the anti-fouling Systems (AFS) Convention and the implementation of the Biofouling Guidelines. more...
Jordan ratifies wreck removal treaty
IMO’s work to provide uniform international rules for the prompt and effective removal of wrecks received a boost with Jordan becoming the 30th State to ratify the Nairobi International Convention on the Removal of Wrecks. more...
Indispensable shipping highlighted at Georgia Maritime Forum
IMO Secretary-General Kitack Lim has emphasized the
importance of shipping and the need to ensure healthy oceans at the Georgia
International Maritime Forum (GIMF) in Batumi (12-16 September). Mr. Lim
praised the Forum’s contribution to the global discussion taking place around
IMO’s World Maritime Day theme “Shipping: indispensable to the world”, and emphasized
that maritime transport is the backbone of international trade – supplying
people all over the world with the commodities, fuel, goods and products that
they depend on. Mr. Lim also opened a one-day Seminar on Maritime Transport Policy
for Senior Maritime Transport Officials held alongside the GIMF, involving senior maritime
transport officials from the littoral States of the Black and Caspian Seas and
Moldova. more...
Developing national maritime transport policies
Practical guidance on how to develop, adopt and update national maritime transport policy was the focus for a one-day seminar in Batumi, Georgia (14 September), aimed at senior maritime transport officials from the littoral States of the Black and Caspian Seas and Moldova. The seminar forms part of an on-going pilot project being rolled out by IMO on national maritime transport policy development. A series of workshops and seminars have been held worldwide, to trial a maritime transport policy training package which is being developed by IMO and the World Maritime University (WMU). more...