Joint Working Group News

The IMO's Facilitation Committee held its 48th session (FAL 48) from April 8 to 12, in person at IMO Headquarters in London.The Facilitation Committee (FAL) meets annually to deal with matters related to the facilitation of international maritime traffic, including the arrival, stay and departure of ships, persons and cargo from ports. The Committee also addresses electronic business and aims to ensure that the right balance is struck between regulation and the facilitation of international maritime trade.

The IMO Facilitation Committee will meet in person at IMO Headquarters in London for its 48th session (FAL 48) from April 8 to 12 to discuss issues related to autonomous shipping; prevention of illegal wildlife trafficking on ships; digitalization initiatives and the implementation of the Maritime Single Window and Port Community Systems.The Facilitation Committee (FAL) will continue discussions around regulating commercial vessels that can operate independent of human interaction - Maritime Autonomous Surface Ships (MASS).

Uncrewed surface vessels (USVs), automated vessels, maritime autonomous surface ships (MASS), remote controlled vessels, and the employment of artificial intelligence and smart marine technology to navigate and operate civilian and military vessels have created a lively debate over utilizing and regulating such technology. Recent articles addressing artificial intelligence (AI) have questioned the value of experience and intuition versus computed logic based upon data and logarithmic differentiations.

A Joint Working Group (JWG) of three UN agencies – the International Maritime Organization (IMO), the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the International Labour Organization (ILO) - met in Torremolinos, Spain, to address illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing (23-25 October).IUU fishing refers to fishing which is carried out without proper authorization. This can undermine national, regional and global efforts to conserve and manage fish stocks and result in poor safety and working conditions for fishers. Tackling the issue requires collaboration by all stakeholders.The group recommended the three organizations promote…

The three governments of Sri Lanka, Japan and India have signed a Memorandum of Cooperation (MoC) for the development of the East Container Terminal (ECT) located in the Colombo South Port."As a hub of the Indian Ocean, the development of Sri Lanka and openness of its ports are of great importance. Colombo Port is the leading Port in the region. This joint project reflects the longstanding good will and cooperation among the three countries," said a joint statement.Japan has provided cooperation for the development of the Jaya Container Terminal since the 1980’s. Around 70% of Colombo Port’s transshipment business is India-related.Sri Lanka…

Italian oil group Eni is joining forces with compatriot shipbuilder Fincantieri, power grid group Terna and state lender Cassa Depositi e Prestiti (CDP) to develop wave power stations.The Chief Executive Officers of the companies have signed a non-binding agreement today at the Eni headquarters in the EUR district of Rome to develop and build wave power stations on an industrial scale.The agreement seeks to combine the knowledge of the collective companies to transform the Inertial Sea Wave Energy Converter (ISWEC) pilot project into a project on an industrial scale for immediate application and use. ISWEC is the innovative system that converts energy generated by waves into electricity.

International Maritime Organization (IMO)’s Polar Code helps ensure that ships operating in the harsh Arctic and Antarctic areas take into account extremes of temperature and make sure critical equipment remains operational.Draft guidance for navigation and communication equipment intended for use on ships operating in polar waters is expected to be finalized by the current session of the Sub-Committee on Navigation, Communications and Search and Rescue (NCSR 6, 16-25 January).The guidance will include recommendations on temperature and mechanical shock testing, and on how to address ice accretion and battery performance in cold temperatures.The Sub-Committee will also consider the report of the 14th meeting of the Joint IMO/ITU Experts Group on maritime radiocommunication matters.

Shipbuilding giants Fincantieri and China State Shipbuilding Corporation (CSSC) have agreed to extend an existing cooperation spanning all fields of commercial shipbuilding.The firms signed a Memorandum of Understanding during a ceremony in Beijing, at the presence of the Italian Minister of Economy and Finance Giovanni Tria, the CEO of Cassa Depositi e Prestiti Fabrizio Palermo, the CEO of Fincantieri Giuseppe Bono, and the Chairman of CSSC Lei Fanpei.Under the deal, Italian shipbuilding group Fincantieri and China’s CSSC will discuss the possibility to extend their current collaboration…

Seafarers depend on a robust distress and safety system when life is in danger at sea. This week’s meeting of the Sub-Committee on Navigation, Communications and Search and Rescue (19-23 February) will be focusing on core areas of International Maritime Organization (IMO)’s work relating to safety at sea. The meeting will review progress in its ongoing work to modernize the Global Maritime Distress and Safety system (GMDSS). The GMDSS was adopted in 1988 to ensure full integration of maritime radio and satellite communications so that distress alerts can be generated from anywhere on the world’s oceans. The modernization plan aims to update the provisions, including allowing for the incorporation of new satellite communication services.

Inmarsat is giving its full backing to a new joint working group formed by the International Association of Classification Societies (IACS) to develop a coordinated position on cybercrime and its prevention. The maritime industry satellite service provider said that stakeholder unity was critical in meeting the unpredictability of the cyber security threat to shipping. IACS sees the JWG approach as key to driving pan-industry technical or policy initiatives forward where the issue identified affects not only IACS Members but other parts of the industry. Inmarsat is a founding member of the group, which is being led by George Reilly of ABS and has been charged with evaluating measures to develop standardized industry practices to oppose maritime cyber threats from any direction.

ABS Chairman, President and CEO Christopher J. Wiernicki concludes his term as Chairman of the International Association of Classification Societies Ltd. (IACS) encouraging the organization to continue setting high standards for performance and raising the bar of excellence. “We set a clear and aggressive agenda for my term as Chairman, and I am very proud of the work we accomplished collectively elevating safety by achieving our top priority of Goal-based Standards recognition by IMO (International Maritime Organization), raising the profile of cyber security and setting a firm foundation for improved working relationships with industry organizations including the IMO,” Wiernicki says.

Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Liu Zhenmin said on Monday the disputed South China Sea should not be discussed at a meeting of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). Liu, speaking to Reuters on the sidelines of the 48th ASEAN Foreign Ministers Meeting, which kicks off in Kuala Lumpur on Tuesday, said the meetings should avoid all talk on the sensitive issue, adding that countries outside ASEAN should not interfere. "It should not be discussed," said Liu. "This is not the right forum. This is a forum for promoting cooperation. If the U.S. raises the issue we shall of course object. The issue was not on the official agenda…

The National Shipping Company of Saudi Arabia (Bahri) and Saudi Electricity Company (SEC) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for a period of five years, appointing Bahri to transport all the equipment, tools, spare parts and products imported from outside by SEC. The MoU, signed by Engr. Ibrahim Al-Omar, CEO of (Bahri) and Engr. Ziad Al-Shiha, CEO of (SEC), aims to support strategic resettlement of projects for electrical industries and exchange of experiences between the two companies to provide appropriate work environment.

The new mandatory code for ships fuelled by gases or other low-flashpoint fuels was adopted by IMO's Maritime Safety Committee (MSC), when it met at the Organization's London headquarters for its 95th session from June 3-12, 2015. The Committee also placed unsafe mixed migration by sea on its agenda and considered cyber security matters and passenger ship safety. It adopted new ships’ routing measures and approved a number of circulars arising from items put forward by the subcommittees.

The Global Shippers Forum (GSF) has joined forces with the Baltic International Maritime Council Organisation (BIMCO) to launch the BIMCO/GSF SERVICECON container shipping contract. GSF is a NGO inaugurated in the UK four years ago but which represents international shipping organisations around the globe, and BIMCO is also an NGO which includes thousands of shipowners and operators worldwide in its membership. The contract details were announced at the 2015 Containerisation International Conference in Hamburg on April 22 and provide the world’s first standardised contract terms and conditions for use in container shipping markets worldwide.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has arrived back home after five days tour of three Indian Ocean countries. His tour has served to reclaim some of New Delhi’s lost footing in the area. New Delhi accepts that India can less afford its past passivity regarding its maritime backyard. Tangible evidence is Narendra Modi's three-nation Indian Ocean tour. Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Indian Ocean sojourn -which took him to Seychelles, Mauritius and Sri Lanka, last week, infused fresh energy into India's mantle as the fulcrum of stability in the Indian Ocean. It signaled India's intent and capacity to ward off extra-regional challengers and emerge as a 'net security provider' in strategically crucial sea lanes for global commerce and geopolitics.

India on Wednesday signed four agreements with the Indian Ocean island nation Seychelles to boost security and maritime partnership. Prime Minister Narendra Modi held talks with Seychelles President James Alix Michel and said Seychelles "is a vital partner in our Indian Ocean neighbourhood". The two nations signed four agreements for cooperation in hydrography, renewable energy, infrastructure development and hydrographic survey for maritime cooperation. Another important agreement is for infrastructure development in the Assumption Island. Modi hoped that Seychelles will soon become a full partner in the maritime security cooperation between India, Maldives and Sri Lanka. "Seychelles is a leader in advancing the concept of Blue Economy.

IMO Secretary-General Koji Sekimizu welcomed his counterparts, Raymond Benjamin, Secretary-General, ICAO, and Kunio Mikuriya, Secretary-General, WCO, to IMO Headquarters on Monday, July 8, where the three considered the further enhancement of collaboration between the Organizations in the fields of aviation, border and maritime security and facilitation. ICAO and the IMO perform their roles as specialized agencies of the United Nations, while the WCO is an independent intergovernmental body.

Rosneft and ExxonMobil agree to collaborate in the search for offshore energy in the Russian Arctic & Far East,  and Alaska. The two companies have agreed to expand their cooperation under their 2011 Strategic Cooperation Agreement to include an additional approximately 600,000 square kilometers (150 million acres) of exploration acreage in the Russian Arctic and potential participation by Rosneft (or its affiliate) in the Point Thomson project in Alaska. They have also agreed to conduct a joint study on a potential LNG project in the Russian Far East. The agreements, which include plans to explore seven new blocks in the Chukchi Sea…

ExxonMobil & Rosneft sign 'Declaration on Protection of the Environment & Biodiversity for Oil and Gas Exploration & Development on Russian Arctic Continental Shelf'. The declaration was signed during a meeting between Igor Sechin, president and chairman of the management board of Rosneft, and Rex W. Tillerson, chairman and chief executive officer of Exxon Mobil Corporation, and senior managers from both organizations. The declaration sets out measures to help protect the Arctic’s ecosystems during oil and gas exploration and development activities to be undertaken by Rosneft and its partners. The parties have agreed to form a joint working group to consider establishing a coordination center that may include representatives of Roskosmos…

Under the terms of the MOU, GE and Rosneft will form a joint working group to identify the range of potential opportunities for short and long–term opportunities, including equipment for Arctic offshore field development, gas monetization technologies and enhanced oil recovery and difficult reserve development. The MOU was signed by John Krenicki, GE vice chairman and president and CEO of GE Energy; and Igor Sechin, president of Rosneft. The agreement calls for a strategic, cooperative relationship that would (1) leverage GE Oil & Gas technologies to help Rosneft improve efficiency and yields in its oil and gas exploration and recovery operations, and (2) explore opportunities to jointly develop, manufacture and sell equipment for use in Russia’s oil and gas industry.

ClassNK Chairman and President Noboru Ueda called upon the International Association of Classification Societies (IACS) to play an expanded role in the future as he stepped down from his position as Chairman of the IACS Council. “Even as IACS must continue to maintain the highest quality standards,” said Mr. Mr. Ueda’s remarks were made at the conclusion of the IACS Council’s 63rd meeting which was held in Kyoto from the 21st to 23rd of June. With his term as Chairman of the IACS Council ending on July 1st, Mr. Ueda oversaw a year that brought a number of changes to the august organization, including the addition of the Polish Register of Shipping (PRS) and the Croatian Register of Shipping (CRS) to IACS.

ClassNK Chairman and President Noboru Ueda called for class societies to play a more central role in the maritime industry’s ongoing efforts to reduce maritime GHG emission during a speech at Sea Asia 2011 in Singapore today. “Classification societies must take a leading role in addressing the challenges of Green House Gas emissions and protecting the environment,” said Mr. Ueda, who is currently serving as the Chairman of IACS, the International Association of Classification Societies.