Intergovernmental Organization News

The 14th Meeting of the Railway Leaders of the Economic Cooperation Organization (ECO) and the 8th Meeting of the Railway Committee of the Transport Coordination Council of the ECO (TTCC) was held in Dushanbe, Republic of Tajikistan.The meeting discussed various cooperation issues in the field of multi-modal shipping, including transit cargoes by sea transport.The event was attended by representatives of Azerbaijan, Turkey, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Pakistan, Islamic Republic of Iran, People Republic of China, Islamic Development Bank (IDB), Intergovernmental Organization for International Freight Transport (EIF)…

Iran's Port of Amirabad is aiming to strengthen and develop transit from CIS countries to Afghanistan through the port.Managing Director of Amirabad Port Siavash Rezvani visited the Special Economic Zone of Dogharoon in line with the plans of pushing transit from Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) countries to Afghanistan through Amirabad port.The Commonwealth of Independent States is a regional intergovernmental organization of 10 post-Soviet republics in Eurasia formed following the dissolution of the Soviet Union.According to a press release from the Ports & Maritime Organization (PMO), Iran, while visiting the Special Economic Zone of Dogharoon, Siavash Rezvani stated that Afghanistan is one of the target markets for the transit of goods from Caspian littoral states.Amir Abad por

The International Energy Agency (IEA) held a high-level workshop on the outlook for offshore wind energy yesterday (May 13), bringing together 80 senior representatives from government, the private sector, research groups, academia and international organisations.Participants joined from countries around the world, including many from Europe, the United States, Japan and China, said a press release from the Paris-based autonomous intergovernmental organization which works to ensure reliable, affordable and clean energy.Altogether, the countries represented at the workshop account for 97% of current and planned offshore wind development.Technological improvements for offshore wind are improving performance and lowering the costs of the electricity it produces…

The International Maritime Organization (IMO) has been granted observer status at the Arctic Council.According to the UN body, this will allow IMO to build on previous cooperation with the Arctic Council and engage in close collaboration on a range issues related to shipping in the Arctic, in particular, search and rescue, pollution response and maritime safety and protection of the marine environment.IMO has adopted the  Polar Code, which provides mandatory requirements for ships operating in the harsh environment of the Polar regions, to provide additional protection on top of existing mandatory rules, for ship design, construction…

With the re-election to IALA Council, the Danish Maritime Authority (DMA) remains at the center of international cooperation on issues of safe navigation, autonomous ships and the use of new technology. For the first time ever, the IALA Council election was contested, and Denmark – represented by the DMA - is among the elected countries. Andreas Nordseth, Director General of the Danish Maritime Authority said: “I am pleased that we once again got a place in IALAs’ Council. IALA is in the middle of a really interesting development from NGO to IGO – an international intergovernmental organization. The increasing focus on digitalization has, amongst other things, meant that IALA and the Danish Maritime Authority worked together on the now concluded EU-funded project EfficienSea2.

In a comprehensive analysis of what is needed to decarbonise international shipping by 2035, the report recommends setting a clear, ambitious emissions-reduction target to drive decarbonisation of maritime transport, supporting the realization of emissions-reduction targets with a comprehensive set of policy measures and providing smart financial incentives to advance the decarbonisation of maritime shipping. “The OECD report, closely followed by the call of the European Shippers Association for a target of decarbonisation by 2035, vindicates our Pacific member states’ principled stance on the IMO debate on shipping emission reduction.

Carrying an estimated 90% of world trade and billions of passengers every year, international shipping represents the life blood of the global economy. Safety, always a major concern for seafarers, has made huge advances in the last century. However, the massive increase in traffic in recent decades requires, among other things, new or better global communication and navigation solutions resting on internationally-agreed standards to maintain and improve safety levels. Shipping was among the very first industries to adopt widely implemented international safety standards.

Carole Coune has officially assumed the office of Secretary General of the International Transport Forum at the OECD. As of August 1, 2011, Coune takes over from Jack Short, who is retiring, as leader of the Paris-based intergovernmental organization which brings together 52 nations. On her first official visit to a member country, Coune met with Germany’s Federal Minister of Transport, Construction and Urban Development, Dr. Peter Ramsauer, and State Secretary Rainer Bomba in Berlin on Tuesday to discuss her strategic vision for the future of the International Transport Forum. Minister Ramsauer assured Coune of Germany’s support for her work. He emphasized that Germany is prepared to host the Forum’s annual summit until at least 2017. ”I am delighted that Ms.

London, 16 May 2011 (Ministry of Development). In an event organized at the headquarters of the Embassy of Spain in London, Captain Esteban Pacha presented the programme of his candidacy to the Ambassadors, Permanent Representatives and Directors of the Maritime Administrations of most IMO Council Member States. The event was attended by the Spanish Director General of Merchant Marine Ms Isabel Durantez. The current Secretary-General Efthimios Mitropoulos ends his term at the…

Ruling Provides More Satellite Communications Options to Agencies, Relief Organizations and Businesses Operating in the U.S. Comsat Mobile Communications (CMC), a business unit of Lockheed Martin Global Telecommunications, announced that it has received authority from the FederalCommunications Commission (FCC) to provide domestic land mobile, maritime, and aeronautical mobile satellite communications services throughout the United States and its territories via the Inmarsat satellite system. This authority is granted in anticipation of the conduct of an IPO by Inmarsat as required by the 2000 Federal ORBIT Act. All of CMC's voice, data, and high-speed data services -- including Direct Internet access, e-mail, and fax -- are included in this ruling.

Inmarsat Ventures plc., announced the opening of their first U.S.-based operations with an office located in Washington, D.C. Inmarsat will execute their North American operations strategy through the new office following the October 2001 legislation extending the ORBIT Act deadline for the company's initial public offering, and the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) ruling granting access rights for several Inmarsat partners. The legislation and FCC ruling will enable businesses in the U.S. to benefit from Inmarsat's robust and reliable high-speed data and voice communications services through Inmarsat partners. As a former Intergovernmental Organization…