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24 March 2016

Waste dumping treaty celebrates 10th birthday

The 1996 "London
Protocol" covering the dumping of wastes at sea entered into force ten
years ago today (24th March). The Protocol modernized the original “London
Convention” dumping treaty, bringing in a so-called “precautionary approach” that
heralded a new era of prohibition of all dumping at sea with the exception of wastes
commonly agreed by Governments and then put on an approved list. Find out more
in our information
leaflet. more...
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23 March 2016

Marine litter partnership meets

The
Steering Committee of the Global
Partnership on Marine Litter has been meeting in London (22-23 March) at IMO Headquarters to
coordinate and plan future work to further reduce
and better manage marine litter. The global partnership gathers together international
agencies, Governments, NGOs, academia, private sector, civil society and
individuals. IMO is a co-lead for sea-based litter in the global partnership,
contributing to the development of the first so-called Massive
Open Online Course on marine litter.
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22 March 2016

Women on board

Two IMO films on women in the maritime industry are being
shown at the “Women on Board” exhibition at Hamburg’s International Maritime
Museum, Germany (March – June 2016). The films “Women at the Helm” and “Making Waves: Women leaders
in the maritime world” are part of IMO’s continuing efforts to promote the
advancement of women in shipping. These latest screenings follow International
Women’s Day, which saw IMO join the annual global celebration and awareness
campaign on 8 March. Find out more about women in the maritime
industry via the IMO website here.
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18 March 2016

IMO at UN counter-terrorism coordination meeting

The UN General Assembly’s Counter
Terrorism Implementation Task Force has held a one-day Inter-Agency
Coordination Meeting at UN Headquarters in New York (17 March). IMO
participates in the work of UN Security Council Counter Terrorism Committee’s
Executive Directorate and the Counter Terrorism Implementation Task
Force, through country assessment visits, capacity building coordination,
and exchange of policy developments with other UN and partner entities involved
in border management and law enforcement. IMO’s Chris
Trelawny participated in the meeting. more...
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18 March 2016

Workshop promotes hazardous and noxious substances treaty

Representatives of governments, intergovernmental organizations and the shipping industry have been meeting to share lessons learned and best practices in relation to implementation of a key compensation treaty covering the transport of hazardous and noxious substances (HNS) by ship. The international Workshop on the HNS Convention (17-18 March), hosted by Transport Canada in Montréal, Québec, Canada, includes practical sessions on implementation of the International Convention on Liability and compensation for Damage in Connection with the Carriage of Hazardous and Noxious substances by Sea, 2010 (2010 HNS Convention), its reporting requirements and discussions on cooperation aimed at bringing the Convention into force. more...
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17 March 2016

Qatar signs Memorandum of Cooperation on IMO Member State Audit Scheme

IMO Secretary-General Kitack Lim today (17 March) signed a “Memorandum
of Cooperation (MoC) between the State of Qatar and IMO concerning
Participation in the IMO Member State Audit Scheme”. The Ambassador of Qatar to
the United Kingdom, H.E. Yousef Ali Al-Khater, presented the MoC on behalf of
the Minister of Transport & Communication of the State of Qatar. The IMO Member
State Audit Scheme (IMSAS) aims to
determine the extent to which countries fulfil their obligations and
responsibilities contained in a number of IMO treaties.
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17 March 2016

Asia-Pacific ship safety heads meet

IMO has been participating in the Asia Pacific Heads of Maritime Safety Agencies (APHoMSA) at their annual gathering (14-17 March), which has been held in Queenstown, New Zealand. The meeting began with a workshop on domestic ship safety, including ferries operating on non-international routes, and concluded with a port visit to domestic ships.  Discussions during the main part of the meeting (15-16 March) were devoted to country papers falling under each of the pillars of the APHoMSA: regional cooperation; marine environment protection; safety at sea including the human element; and marine casualty and incident response. more... 
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16 March 2016

Ballast water management experts gather for R&D forum

Experts at the forefront of research and development in relation to preventing of the spread of potentially harmful species in ballast water have gathered in Montreal, Canada for a key international forum (photos) under the banner “Ballast Water Management Convention – moving towards implementation”. Some 140 participants are attending the 6th Global Environment Facility (GEF)-United Nations Development Program (UNDP)-IMO GloBallast R&D Forum and Exhibition on Ballast Water Management (16-18 March). more...
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16 March 2016

Ballast water system testers meet

The Global Ballast Water Test Organizations Network (GloBal TestNet) has been meeting in Montreal, Canada, ahead of the 6th Global Environment Facility (GEF)-United Nations Development Program (UNDP)-IMO GloBallast R&D Forum and Exhibition on Ballast Water Management, which meets 16-18 March, in Montreal. During its two-day meeting, GloBal TestNet launched its website and elected a new steering committee. The formation of GloBal TestNet has been supported by the Global Industry Alliance (GIA) of the GEF-UNDP-IMO GloBallast Partnerships Programme. more...
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