Archive 2020
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Member State audits follow-up continues
The process to follow up on audits under the IMO Member State audit scheme is continuing, despite the unavoidable disruption of the audit schedule due to the COVID-19 pandemic. To support this work, a virtual meeting of auditors (8 July) provided a forum to inform 55 auditors who attended about the latest developments in relation to the Scheme. more...
Webinar series on oil spill preparedness and response launched
The Global initiative for West, Central and Southern Africa, GIWACAF works alongside 22 partner countries in Africa to strengthen their national capacities for preparedness and response to oil spills. In order to continue to improve the level of preparedness during the pandemic, GIWACAF has launched a series of webinar to keep providing capacity-building activities and best practices to its stakeholders and beyond. The webinars began in June and will run monthly through to late automn. more...
Governments must act to bring seafarers home
Governments have the power to solve a growing humanitarian crisis and must take action to bring seafarers home and allow their relief crews to join ships. “Get our hero seafarers home” was the plea from panelists during a webinar (26 June) hosted by IMO on the occasion of the Day of the Seafarer. IMO, the International Chamber of Shipping (ICS) and the International Transport Workers Federation (ITF) urged countries to implement protocols on safe crew change developed by the maritime industry and circulated by IMO. more...
Port State control regimes cooperate with IMO on crew changes and certificate renewals
Port State control (PSC) regimes have expressed their willingness to be part of the solution to the urgent issue of crew changes and repatriation of seafarers. This is a key outcome of the second virtual meeting of all PSC regimes (17 June), organised by IMO in cooperation with the International Labour Organization (ILO) to address issues surrounding surveys and certificates renewals during the pandemic. more...
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Act on seafarer crew changes to avert humanitarian crisis
Governments need to urgently act to ensure ships’ crew changeovers can take place to keep world trade flowing and avert a humanitarian and ship safety crisis, IMO Secretary-General Kitack Lim has told Member State representatives. “We are on the verge of a humanitarian crisis and a real safety issue – we cannot expect seafarers currently on ships to stay at sea forever. It is the responsibility of Governments to allow shipping to continue moving, and for seafarers to return to their homes, or get to their ships to begin work,” Mr. Lim said during a virtual meeting organized by IMO (9 June) to brief permanent representatives and liaison officers from IMO Member States. Mr. Lim thanked countries which have made progress by designating seafarers as key workers, by facilitating crew changes through implementing crew change protocols which have been endorsed by IMO. more...
Enhancing regional maritime security cooperation amidst the COVID-19 pandemic
IMO is continuing to support work on information sharing to boost maritime security in the Western Indian Ocean and the Gulf of Aden. A virtual meeting of the Steering committee* of the revised Code of Conduct concerning the repression of piracy, armed robbery against ships and illicit maritime activity in the western Indian Ocean and the Gulf of Aden Area (also known as the Jeddah Amendment to the Djibouti Code of Conduct 2017) was held (9 June) to discuss ways of continuing to enhance regional maritime security efforts amidst the COVID-19 pandemic. more...
Shipping and ports collaboration - beyond COVID-19
The importance of collaboration between all maritime sectors has been thrown into the spotlight during the COVID-19 pandemic and will be needed more than ever in the recovery phase, IMO Secretary-General Kitack Lim told a webinar on ship-shore relations. Mr. Lim highlighted ongoing challenges, including the need for crew changeovers for some 150,000 seafarers who need to leave their ships. However, the pandemic has led to intensive collaboration on a digital and virtual basis between the shipping and port communities, as well as with and between Governments and international organizations. more...
Ensuring maritime safety and security in the Gulf of Guinea
IMO Secretary-General Kitack Lim has welcomed the latest initiatives to address the serious issue of piracy and armed robbery in the Gulf of Guinea, including a joint meeting (on 28 May) between the government of Nigeria and representatives from organizations representing the oil and shipping industries. In a statement, Secretary-General Lim said he commended the collaborative efforts to address piracy and armed robbery against ships in the Gulf of Guinea. more...
Major boost for key ballast water treaty aimed at protecting biodiversity
An important international treaty which helps prevent the spread of potentially invasive aquatic species by ships now covers more than 90% of shipping worldwide, following China’s extension of the treaty to the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region. Ships flagged to Hong Kong, China - the fourth largest flag Administration in the world by shipping tonnage - will now be required to apply the requirements of the Ballast Water Management Convention (BWM). more...