Legal Committee (LEG), 110th Session, 27-31 March (Closing remarks)

ADDRESS OF THE SECRETARY‑GENERAL KITACK LIM
AT THE CLOSING OF THE
110TH SESSION OF THE LEGAL COMMITTEE

Madam Chair, excellencies, distinguished delegates and observers,

We are approaching the end of this very busy session of the Legal Committee. The Committee has once again achieved many important accomplishments.

As you are aware, the well-being of seafarers is very close to my heart, therefore, I am very happy you unanimously adopted a resolution to approve the guidelines on how to deal with seafarer abandonment cases. The Guidelines add significant value in resolving abandonment cases and will help to improve the treatment and repatriation of seafarers.

I encourage Member States and interested parties to implement them and to ensure that seafarers get the support they so desperately need in situations of abandonment. 

On the matter of fair treatment of seafarers detained on suspicion of committing maritime crimes, the Working Group to prepare new guidelines made good progress and I have no doubt the newly established Correspondence Group will continue with the work on these draft guidelines intersessionally.

I encourage all delegations to participate in this intersessional work.

With regard to the impact on shipping and seafarers of the situation in the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov, your Committee has taken a number of decisions, including inviting the Secretariat to contact relevant UN organizations and develop options for an assessment, with appropriate costing. The Secretariat, as instructed, will provide a report to C 129 for consideration.

Your Committee continued to address issues related to the fraudulent registration and fraudulent registries of ships and the threats these posed. The Study Group is making good progress and is scheduled to submit a final report to LEG 111. You have also established a Correspondence Group to look at the elements of due diligence in the registration of ships.

I believe that this is the right time and place to strengthen the system of the registration of ships to make it modern and transparent, so that cases of fraudulent registration will be eliminated.

The Working Group on Liability and Compensation made good progress and finalized three information pamphlets on the CLC, Bunkers and Nairobi Wreck Removal conventions, which will be helpful for anybody seeking to understand these important conventions.

The Working Group also moved forward with the development of methodologies which will help to assess the need to amend liability limits and has come up with a robust work plan and base document for the forthcoming work.

Your Committee also approved the Claims Manual for the 2001 Bunkers Convention. I welcome this development as it will well serve the industry, insurance concerns and the victims of pollution damage.

The Committee also approved the draft resolution on the revision of the Guidelines on places of refuge for ships in need of assistance, and I look forward to its adoption by the Assembly at its 33rd session in November.

These achievements would not have been possible without your devotion and spirit of cooperation, and I would like to thank and congratulate you for your continuous collaboration and support to the work of the Organization.

Our appreciation also goes to the Chair, Ms. Gillian Grant, who demonstrated great leadership skills and ably led the Committee through this busy session.

I also thank the Vice-Chair, Mr. Ivane Abashidze, for his important contributions and his leadership in the Working Group on Liability.

And I would like to congratulate both your Chair and Vice-Chair to their re-election. I wish you both every success in leading this important Committee in the years ahead. 

My thanks also go to Ms. Ana Hernando who ably chaired the Working Group on Criminalization of Seafarers.

Finally, I thank the team in the Legal Affairs and External Relations Division for their efforts and dedication.

I also thank all the staff in the Conference Division, including Meeting Services and the Translation and Document Sections; the interpreters and the Catering staff for the excellent receptions during this week.

This is also the last session for Mr. Dick Brus of the Netherlands. After many years of service and attendance at the Legal Committee, it is time to say goodbye. I wish you a happy retirement, Dick.

In addition, this will be the last session of the Legal Committee for Mr. David Baker, representing the International Group of P&I Clubs. David's first session of the Committee was LEG 97, thus he is truly one of the "old hands" at this Committee. His contributions to the work of LEG have been significant. I wish him all the best for the future. 

And finally, I would like to say few words about Mr. Frederick Kenney, the Director of the Legal Affairs and External Relations Division (LED), as this will be his last Legal Committee Session as its Secretary.

Fred will retire later this year and I wish to sincerely thank him for his dedication.

Fred, you have done an extraordinary job serving this important Committee, IMO and the United Nations family.

Prior to coming to IMO, Fred served as The Judge Advocate General and Chief Counsel of the United States Coast Guard, attaining the rank of Rear Admiral.

Fred was a familiar face at IMO as a delegate - he was a member of the United States delegation to twelve different IMO committees and subcommittees and from 2009-2011, was the Head of the US Delegation to the IMO Legal Committee.

When Fred became the Director of LED, the Legal Committee had only few items on its agenda. Today, the Committee works at its full speed and considers matters of utmost importance for the Organization.

It is not the ship so much as the skilful sailing that assures the prosperous voyage. Undoubtedly Fred, your sailing skills led the Committee to the High Seas.

And on the high seas, Fred has played a key role in ensuring IMO's remit is fully represented during the long negotiations which resulted in the adoption of the BBNJ treaty earlier this month.

Fred's leadership in LED has driven IMO's work on all legal issues in the Secretariat, external relations and public information.

During the pandemic, Fred was instrumental in the work of the Seafarer Action Crisis Team (SCAT) leading IMO's efforts, in cooperation with relevant UN agencies, to facilitate the support for seafarers, including repatriation efforts.

Fred's team also supported Member States to develop the guidelines which enabled the IMO bodies to work remotely during the pandemic.

I would also like to mention Fred's secondment to the UN in 2022 to support the negotiations which led to the Black Sea Grain Initiative and to act as interim Coordinator for the United Nations at the Joint Coordination Centre (JCC) in Istanbul.

Fred, your contribution has been outstanding, and I wish you all the best.

Distinguished delegates,

please join me to applaud Fred on his achievements, and in wishing him all the very best for the future.

[Applause]

Distinguished delegates,

you have all earned some well-deserved rest and I wish you all a nice weekend and to those returning home, a safe journey.

Thank you, Madam Chair.

__________