November and December 2005
|
Every two years the IMO Assembly takes place and generally runs through November and December. The Council which is the executive organ of IMO and is responsible, under the Assembly, for supervising the work of the Organization and co-ordinating the work of the committees also meets during this session. IFSMA attended these meetings and the key points of interest to IFSMA raised at those meeting were as follows: The 24th Assembly was held in London from the: 21st November to the 2nd December 2005 The Assembly was attended by 817 delegates representing 153 Member States and three Associate Members; the United Nations and specialized agencies, one Non-Member State, five intergovernmental organizations and 27 non-governmental organizations. Piracy off the coast of Somalia The Assembly adopted a Resolution which condemns and deplores all acts of piracy and armed robbery against ships on Piracy and armed robbery against ships and in particular the waters off the coast of Somalia, calling for the issue to be brought to the attention of the United Nations Security Council. It appeals to all parties which may be able to assist to take action, within the provisions of international law, to ensure that all acts or attempted acts of piracy and armed robbery against ships are terminated forthwith; that any plans for committing such acts are abandoned; that any hijacked ships are immediately and unconditionally released; and that no harm is caused to seafarers serving in them. Fair treatment of seafarers The Assembly adopted a resolution requesting the Joint IMO/ILO Ad Hoc Expert Working Group on Fair Treatment of Seafarers to finalize guidelines on fair treatment of seafarers in the event of a maritime accident as a matter of priority. The resolution echoes the serious concern about the need to ensure the protection of the rights of seafarers in view of the growing use of criminal proceedings against them, in particular their prolonged detention, as a result of a maritime accident. The resolution urges all States to respect the basic human rights of seafarers involved in maritime accidents. This included the need to investigate maritime accidents expeditiously and to avoid any unfair treatment of seafarers and to adopt procedures to allow the prompt repatriation or re embarkation of seafarers following these accidents. Particularly Sensitive Sea Areas Following some recent criticism of regional areas claiming PSSA status for political reasons IFSMA is pleasd to see that the Assembly adopted revised Guidelines for the Identification and Designation of Particularly Sensitive Sea Areas (PSSAs) have been adopted. A PSSA is an area that needs special protection through action by IMO because of its significance for recognized ecological, socio-economic, or scientific attributes where such attributes may be vulnerable to damage by international shipping activities. An application for PSSA designation should contain a proposal for an associated protective measure or measures aimed at preventing, reducing or eliminating the threat or identified vulnerability. Associated protective measures for PSSAs are limited to actions that are to be, or have been, approved and adopted by IMO, for example, a routeing system such as an area to be avoided. The guidelines provide advice to IMO Member Governments in the formulation and submission of applications for the designation of PSSAs to ensure that in the process, all interests - those of the coastal State, flag State, and the environmental and shipping communities - are thoroughly considered on the basis of relevant scientific, technical, economic, and environmental information regarding the area at risk of damage from international shipping activities. IMO Member State Audit Scheme This scheme will address issues such as conformance in enacting appropriate legislation for the IMO instruments to which it is a Party; the administration and enforcement of the applicable laws and regulations of the Member State; the delegation of authority in terms of the implementation of convention requirements; and the control and monitoring mechanism of the Member State's survey and certification processes and of its recognized organizations. There will also be the Implementation of Mandatory IMO Instruments, which will provide the audit standard. To ensure that Member States' audit can commence in 2006, an adequate pool of trained auditors is to be established by mid 2006, based on nominations by Member States of qualified auditors for training under the provisions of the scheme. It is expected that between 20 to 30 audits will be conducted during the 2006-2007 biennium. The technical co-operation global programme for the scheme will have a key role to play in supporting the training programme. Wreck Removal Convention - Conference to be held The Assembly approved, subject to progress made by the Legal Committee, the holding of a Conference during 2007 in Nairobi, Kenya, to adopt a new Wreck Removal Convention. The proposed new convention is intended to provide international rules on the rights and obligations of States and ship-owners in dealing with wrecks and drifting or sunken cargo which may pose a hazard to navigation or pose a threat to the marine environment of coastal states. The draft Convention currently being considered by the Legal Committee is intended to clarify rights and obligations regarding the identification, reporting, locating and removal of hazardous wrecks, in particular those located in the exclusive economic zone. At the 95th session of the Council the 40 member states were elected under the following categories The IMO Council had previously agreed that the World Maritime Day theme for 2006 should be Technical Co-operation: IMO's response to the 2005 World Summit. A) 10 states with the largest interest in providing international shipping services: · China B) 10 other States with the largest interest in international seaborne trade: · Argentina C) 20 States not elected under (a) or (b) above which have special interests in maritime transport or navigation, and whose election to the Council will ensure the representation of all major geographic areas of the world:
Finally for reference there is an appendix to the log book showing the 23 resolutions that were adopted at the 24th Assembly Rodger MacDonald Secretary General REFERENCE Resolutions adopted
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
