IMO's Marine Environment Protection Committee (MEPC) met last wek for its 69th session (18-22 April). Among the items on a busy agenda, the MEPC considered the implementation of the International Convention for the Control and Management of Ships' Ballast Water and Sediments, which is close to reaching entry into force criteria. There will be further work on the energy efficiency of international shipping, including the development of the data collection system for ships' fuel consumption.
Following the adoption of the Paris Climate Change Agreement, and building on the discussions at its previous session, the MEPC will further consider a proposal for a work plan to define international shipping's contribution to the global efforts to address climate change. A proposal from the Philippines to designate the marine area known as the Tubbataha Reefs Natural Park, located between the islands of the Philippines and North Borneo, as a Particularly Sensitive Sea Area (PSSA), will be put forward.
The MEPC will also consider establishing an effective date for the application of the Baltic Sea Special Area under MARPOL Annex IV (Prevention of Pollution by Sewage from Ships). The MEPC was opened by IMO Secretary-General Kitack Lim and is being chaired by Mr. Arsenio Dominguez (Panama).
IMO IN BRIEFS
Secretary-General supports India’s active maritime growth policy
IMO Secretary-General Kitack Lim shared a platform with India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the launch of the first Maritime India Summit in Mumbai. The event brings together stakeholders from diverse sectors of India’s maritime community to explore opportunities to promote growth and investment in the sector. Mr Lim said that a successful shipping and port sector signified that a country was thriving.
A policy to support these areas would be of great benefit to the country as a whole, not just to the maritime industry itself, he added. He stressed the need for collaborative planning and praised Prime Minister Modi for the positive steps he and his government have taken to encourage investment and development throughout India’s maritime sector.
Later today, Mr Lim will address a special session with high-level officials from India’s maritime cluster, where he will talk about the role that shipping can play in supporting the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and highlight this year’s World Maritime Day theme “Shipping: Indispensable to the World”.
New approach to maritime security needed
Good maritime security should not be seen as an end in itself, it is a means to an end as it underpins and enables sustainable maritime development which supports improved and sustainable economic development. This was the message delivered by IMO’s Chris Trelawny, who was speaking at the International Sea Power and Security Symposium 2016, held in Istanbul, Turkey (13-14 April) which focused on the theme of “Collaboration for Maritime Security”. Mr Trelawny outlined IMO’s comprehensive capacity-building programmes, working with IMO Member States globally to enhance maritime safety, security and facilitation capabilities and to counter illicit maritime activities both bilaterally and regionally, and in cooperation with the United Nations agencies, offices and programmes, regional bodies, national development partners and other organizations. He highlighted one of the challenges, namely that maritime security and maritime law enforcement are often seen as departmental issues – issues for the navy, or the coast guard, or the police, or the maritime authority – with those agencies competing for scarce resources, rather than being part of a national, multi-agency response to developing the maritime sector. A multi-agency, multidisciplinary approach is needed, he concluded.
Maritime women raise Pacific profile
The Pacific Women in Maritime Association (PacWiMA) re-launched recently at a conference organized by IMO and the Pacific Community (SPC) (11-15 April). Hosted by Tonga and supported by New Zealand, the conference reinforces the regional commitment for a Pacific Platform for Action on Advancement of Women and Gender Equality. By developing targets and indicators on women’s rights and gender equality, this provides regional support for the global commitment for sustainable development through empowering women.
The conference will highlight women’s economic contribution and leadership in the Pacific maritime sector and help place women in the maritime sector on the agenda of the transport and energy ministers’ meeting to be held in Tonga in 2017.
PacWiMA was established in 2005, under the auspices of IMO, through the Pacific Community’s Regional Maritime Programme. Its aim was to create a regional support system to raise awareness of issues concerning women’s empowerment and gender equality. Despite the success of some national associations, it became inactive due to a lack of funding and other issues. The conference will discuss its constitution, structure, activities and the development of national chapters. Some 80 women from the Pacific region are attending the conference.
Young diplomats visit IMO
IMO Secretary-General Kitack Lim has given members of the Young Diplomats in London (YDL) an insight into IMO and his life as an international civil servant, at an event hosted at IMO Headquarters, London (12 April). He outlined the importance of shipping and how IMO treaties cover every aspect of a ship’s life, from the drawing board to the recycling facility – including design, equipment, seafarer training and so on. He also talked about his background as a seafarer and technical expert, and his journey into a new life as the head of a specialized United Nations agency.
Mr. Lim went on to state his dedication to promoting a culture of good communication, both between IMO and its Member States, the media, institutions, and between the developed and developing world. He also highlighted the important work of IMO’s affiliated educational institutions: the World Maritime University (WMU) in Sweden and IMO International Maritime Law Institute (IMLI) in Malta.
Mapping to assist oil spill preparedness in Saint Lucia
IMO is funding the development of Environmental Sensitivity Index (ESI) Maps, an important oil spill response preparedness tool, in Saint Lucia. The Government of Saint Lucia is being assisted in the mapping by the Regional Marine Pollution Emergency Information and Training Center for the Wider Caribbean (RAC REMPEITC-Caribe), whose experts toured the island recently (4-8 April 2016) to collect Geographical Information System (GiS) data and photos used to catalogue and chart coastal resources at risk.
The final ESI Maps are expected to be delivered by RAC REMPEITC-Caribe, represented by Mr. Paul Lattanzi, to Saint Lucia this Spring. Saint Lucia's Director of Maritime Affairs, Mr. Christopher Alexander, said: “We are very grateful for the technical cooperation from IMO to develop ESI maps. ESI maps are a very important tool for contingency planners and oil spill responders and having these maps for Saint Lucia will be a great step forward for our country".
Training towards greater maritime security
Extensive maritime security training involving countries operating under the Djibouti Code of Conduct (DCoC) took place in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia (20 March – 7 April). Maritime law enforcement officials from 17 DCoC signatory States* are participating in exercises dealing with transnational organized crimes at sea – including, piracy/armed robbery against ships, drug trafficking, marine terrorism, weapons smuggling and human trafficking. The training covers theory and hands-on practical training in conducting criminal investigations at sea, boarding and searching suspected vessels, collection, handling and preservation of evidence at sea.
The course is based on best practices and recognized international standards and delivered by experts from IMO, the United States Coast Guard and Naval Criminal Investigative Service (NCIS), NATO Maritime Interdiction Operations Training Centre (NMIOTC), Greece and Saudi Arabia Border Guard. It is jointly organized by Saudi Arabia and IMO and was officially launched by the Director General of Saudi Arabia Border Guard, Admiral Awwad Eid Al-Balawi and IMO representative Kiruja Micheni. His Royal Highness Prince Mohammed bin Naif bin Abdulaziz, the First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Interior, attended the graduation ceremony and witnessed the course graduates showcasing the skills learnt.
* the Comoros, Djibouti, Egypt, Ethiopia, Jordan, Kenya, Madagascar, Maldives, Mauritius, Mozambique, Oman, Saudi Arabia, Seychelles, Somalia, South Africa, the Sudan, the United Arab Emirates.
Supporting Mozambique’s coastguard capacity
Maritime security was on the agenda at a table top exercise taking place in Maputo, Mozambique (5-6 April) aimed at supporting Mozambique’s national capacity to perform coastguard functions. The IMO-led exercise involves a range of scenarios, including policy decisions and crisis/emergency management and response, to highlight the need for an integrated, multi-agency approach in implementing maritime security measures and maritime law enforcement.
In particular, the exercise refers to the IMO instruments SOLAS chapter XI-2 and the International Ship and Port Facility Security Code (further info). This event is the fourth in a new series of maritime security table top exercises to be conducted in East Africa – offered to the Djibouti Code of Conduct signatory States. It follows the successful series of contingency planning seminars that have been conducted in West Africa.
Maritime security in the spotlight at APEC transport meeting
IMO has underlined its support for the joint capacity building efforts to implement internationally agreed standards for tackling maritime security threats at an Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) meeting in Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea (4-7 April). Henrik Madsen of IMO’s Subdivision for Maritime Security and Facilitation addressed the 42nd APEC Transportation Working Group (TPT WG), of which IMO is a member.
IMO and the Transportation Working Group’s Maritime Security Experts Sub-group have been collaborating on a series of joint national maritime security workshops in the region during 2015 and 2016, on topics ranging from drills and exercises mandated under IMO’s International Ship and Port Facility Security Code (ISPS Code) to self-assessment and audit. The meeting will enable coordination and planning of various