Maritime Safety Committee (MSC 106), 2-11 November 2022 (closing speech)

Maritime Safety Committee (MSC 106), 2-11 November 2022 

Closing remarks delivered by Heike Deggim, Director, Maritime Safety Division, IMO

Madam Chair, Excellencies, distinguished delegates and observers,

We have come to the end of another very busy session of the Maritime Safety Committee. The Committee has once again achieved many important accomplishments in its return to in-person meetings, also benefiting from the use of hybrid capabilities. I am sure you will all agree that it has certainly helped facilitating the important discussions you have had throughout the week to see each other face to face.

In the interest of time, I will only highlight some of the most important achievements:

  • adoption of amendments to the 1974 SOLAS Convention and five other mandatory instruments;

  • adoption of new SOLAS chapter XV and the associated International Code of Safety for Ships Carrying Industrial Personnel (IP Code), a key instrument setting an international standard for the safe carriage of industrial personnel to and from offshore facilities;

  • approval of the first set of draft amendments to the Polar Code, to include non-SOLAS ships such as fishing vessels, also including amendments to SOLAS chapter XIV for wider application;

  • agreement on the initial draft framework for the goal-based Code for Maritime Autonomous Surface Ships (MASS);

  • recognition of the maritime mobile satellite services provided by China Transport Telecommunication Information Group Co. Ltd through the BeiDou Message Service System;

  • adoption of a resolution on Member States' obligations in connection with SAR services in the context of armed conflicts;

  • adoption of a resolution on recommended cooperation to ensure the safety of life at sea, the rescue of persons in distress at sea and the safe disembarkation of survivors;

  • adoption of a number of ships' routeing measures; and

  • approval of the Procedure for identifying and forwarding safety issues emanating from the analysis of casualty investigation reports.

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

My most sincere appreciation goes to your Chair, Mrs. Mayte Medina of the United States. Madam Chair, despite the most challenging and diverse issues you were confronted with during this session, some expected and some unexpected, you once again demonstrated outstanding decision-making skills and excellent leadership in steering the affairs of the Committee, with a firm and steady hand to great success.

I would also like to thank your Vice-Chair, Mr. Theofilos Mozas of Greece, for his support throughout this session.

My thanks also go to the Chairs of the working and drafting groups which convened during this session, in particular Mr. Tunfors of Sweden, Mrs. Baldwin of the United States, Mr. Rogers of the United Kingdom, Mr. Tsuchiya of Liberia, Mr. Ostenfeld of Denmark and Mr. Ramirez of the Marshall Islands, who ensured a successful outcome of their respective groups.

As always, this is also an opportune moment to thank those delegates and experts who may be leaving us and for some of whom this is the last session of the Committee they are attending. In particular, I would like to bid farewell to Mrs. Janet Strode of IPTA, who was a trailblazer, with very few others, in starting empowering women in maritime some 26 years ago.

Let me conclude by thanking the team in the Maritime Safety Division for their efforts and dedication, under the lead of the Director and Secretary of your Committee, Mrs. Heike Deggim. My thanks go also to all the staff in the Conference Division, including Meeting Services and the Translation and Document Sections. The Department of Information Technology also deserves appreciation for their services, and of course special thanks, as always, go to the interpreters for facilitating our communication.

Distinguished delegates,

Now it is time to put the work aside and take a well‑deserved rest. It only remains for me to wish you all a nice weekend and to those who are returning home, a safe journey and I am looking forward to seeing many of you again at MEPC 79 in December where we will have to take important decisions which will determine the future of this Organization.

Thank you.

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