Sub-Committee on Implementation of IMO Instruments (III 8) - closing remarks

SECRETARY-GENERAL KITACK LIM  CLOSING REMARKS

III 8

Friday, 29 July 2022

Chair, Excellencies, distinguished delegates and observers,

We are at the end of another fruitful session of the Sub-Committee on Implementation of IMO Instruments, which once again, has made significant accomplishments.

In the interest of time, I would only single out a few of your achievements this week

  • you progressed on updating Assembly resolutions, on PSC procedures, the Survey Guidelines under the HSSC and the Non-Exhaustive List of Obligations under instruments relevant to the III Code;
  • great effort has been made with respect to the analysis of casualty reports and the improved procedure for identifying safety issues.
  • you agreed on the review of the full functionality and inter-operability of the Port Reception Facilities module in GISIS, with a view to looking into the resources required to develop and implement the data transfer mechanism.
  •  in the context of data collection and analysis, you also agreed to rename the title of the agenda item 7, to enable the Sub-Committee to better support the regulatory and policy-making processes based on the analysis of wider data sets.you progressed the work on the development of the III Code Implementation Guidance, as well as the work on the development of guidance on assessments and applications of remote surveys, ISM Code audits and ISPS Code verifications, in particular with an agreement on roadmap and methodology on the way forward.

Concerning your work on updating the Procedures for PSC on issues related to the short-term GHG reduction measures, your determination to foster harmonized enforcement measures is evident.

All the accomplishments of this session would not have been possible without active cooperation from all of you, the delegates, and I am grateful for your continued collaboration and unstinting support for the work of the Organization.

My thanks also extend to those who have chaired  correspondence groups, for the very robust input for this session, Capt. Jörgen Zachau (Sweden), Mr. Holger Meyer (European Commission), Mr. Jeroen Witter (The Netherlands) and Mr. Cui Yuwei (China). I would also like to express my gratitude for the work accomplished by the working and drafting groups, very ably chaired by your Vice-Chair, Mr. Marek Rauk (Estonia), Mr. Kunal Nakra (Singapore), Mr. Mikael Khelia (European Commission), and Mr. Mark Rijsdijk (Marshall Islands).

I would also like to take this opportunity to appreciate the work of the staff of the Department for Member State Audit and Implementation Support and the Marine Environment Division for their tremendous efforts and dedication.

I also thank all staff in the Conference Division, including the Translation and Document Sections, as well as the interpreters. All of them work tirelessly to serve your meeting.

Finally, I would like to express my sincere gratitude to your Chair, Ms. Claudia Grant of Jamaica for her leadership and wise counsel throughout this week and to your Vice-Chair, Mr. Marek Rauk of Estonia.

I would also like to express my appreciation to those delegates and experts for whom this is their last session, and to wish them all the best for the future. In particular I would like to appreciate Mr. Holger Meyer (European Commission), who is retiring, for his long-lasting contribution to the work of the Sub-Committee and for elegantly steering the work of the Correspondence Group on measures to harmonize port State control (PSC) activities and procedures worldwide for so many years.

Before concluding, I would also like to highlight that this was the last remote meeting. In June 2022, through Circular Letter No.4213/Add.7, I announced the resumption of in-person meetings at IMO Headquarters, effective from 14 September 2022.

Subsequently, at its 127th session earlier this month, the Council agreed to use hybrid meeting capability to complement in-person meetings from September 2022 for a trial period of one year. Thus, starting from the eighth session of the Sub-Committee on Carriage of Cargoes and Containers (CCC 8), which is scheduled to take place from 14 to 23 September 2022..

As this is also the last meeting before the summer break for those of us in the Northern hemisphere, I want to wish you a safe and happy summer. I look forward to seeing you again in September.

Thank you.