Whats New 2016
Spreading the word at Posidonia
IMO officials have been prominent at the biennual Posidonia
shipping industry trade fair which is taking place this week (6-10 June) in
Athens, Greece. Secretary-General Kitack Lim joined Greece’s Prime Minister
Tsipras at the formal opening of the event, where he spoke of how shipping is
essential to the sustainable development and growth of the global economy and
about IMO’s work to ensure that shipping itself reflects the increasingly
higher expectations that society now has regarding safety standards and
environmental performance. more...
Dominican Republic accedes to treaty covering seafarer training
The Dominican Republic has today (9 June) acceded to the IMO convention that specifies global standards of training, certification and watchkeeping for seafarers (the STCW Convention). H.E. Dr. Federico Alberto Cuello Camilo, Ambassador of the Dominican Republic to the UK, met IMO Secretary-General Kitack Lim at IMO HQ, London to hand over the instrument of accession.
Legal Committee begins 103rd session
IMO
Secretary-General Kitack Lim has opened the Legal Committee, 103rd session
(8-10 June). Items on the agenda include: facilitation of the entry into force
and implementation of the 2010 HNS
convention and discussion of future work needed to ensure the fair treatment of seafarers in
the event of a maritime accident. The meeting (photos) will consider a submission
requesting the Committee to add to its work programme the development of a new
instrument on the foreign judicial sales of ships and their recognition. more...
Promoting maritime security in west and central Africa
Prevention
of piracy, armed robbery against ships and illicit maritime activity in west
and central Africa is on the agenda at a meeting of the G7 Group of Friends of
the Gulf of Guinea in Lisbon, Portugal (6-7 June). The meeting is focusing on
implementation of the Code
of Conduct, which was signed by governments in the region, in 2013, to
enhance cooperation to counter piracy and armed robbery at sea. more...
IMO contributes to international port security conference
IMO’s aims of building on existing guidelines and tools to
assist in improved implementation of security measures in ports have been
outlined at the 7th annual International Port Security conference
in London, United Kingdom (1-2 June). Chris Trelawny of the Maritime Safety Division highlighted how improved cooperation between ports and ships will enhance
the efficiency of the maritime sector as a whole. He emphasized the importance
of working with developed and developing countries, shipping, public and
private sector ports in order to promote best practices and build bridges
between the diverse sectors. more...
Understanding biofouling
An IMO workshop in Djibouti (1-2 June) has addressed ways to reduce the effects of biofouling, which occurs when aquatic organisms accumulate on ships’ hulls with potentially harmful effects for marine ecosystems. Officials involved in protecting the marine environment discussed how to manage the issue, including how to implement IMO’s 2011 Biofouling Guidelines, which provide a globally consistent approach to managing biofouling and reducing the transfer of invasive aquatic species by ships. more...
IMO workshop in China promotes energy efficiency measures
An IMO workshop has raised awareness
of the organization's regulatory regime dealing with improving energy
efficiency and the control of GHG emissions from ships. Participants
from Chinese governmental departments, academia and other related bodies
attended the three-day "MARPOL Annex VI and Technology Transfer" workshop in Dalian, China (30 May - 1 June). The event was organized under IMO's GloMEEP
project, which is supporting uptake and implementation of energy
efficiency measures for shipping in developing countries. China is one
of the 10 GloMEEP lead pilot countries. more...
International maritime law students graduate
The IMO International Maritime Law Institute (IMLI) has held its 27th annual Graduation Ceremony at the Maritime Museum in Vittoriosa, Malta (28 May). Thirty-eight students from 27 countries graduated from programs covering all areas of international maritime law, including international law of the sea, shipping law, marine environmental law, international maritime security law and maritime legislation drafting. Speaking at the ceremony, IMO Secretary-General Kitack Lim heralded the Institute and congratulated the graduates on their achievement. He told them that there were now “oceans of opportunities before them to make their own unique waves in the maritime world as they move onto new and exciting challenges”. more...
Saint Lucia accedes to key marine environment protection treaties
Saint Lucia has acceded to four IMO treaties, including
important conventions covering ballast water management (BWM
Convention) and emissions from ship exhausts and energy efficiency (MARPOL
Annex VI). Mr. Tafawa Williams, Alternate Permanent Representative of Saint
Lucia to IMO, met IMO’s Frederick Kenney, Director, Legal Affairs and External
Relations Division, to deposit the instruments of accession, today (26 May). This
brings the number of States party to the Ballast Water Management Convention to
50, representing 34.81% of the world's merchant fleet tonnage. more...