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Imo Assembly News

01 Dec 2023

Russia Fails to Get Re-elected to the IMO

© Kekyalyaynen / Adobe Stock

Russia on Friday failed to win enough votes for re-election to the United Nation's shipping agency's governing council after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy had urged countries not to allow Moscow to be part of the UN body's executive arm.The outcome is another blow for Russia after it failed in its bid to return to the UN's top human rights body in October, in an election seen as a key test of Western efforts to keep Moscow isolated.Last year Moscow also failed to win…

30 Nov 2023

MPA and IACS Collaborate on Maritime Initiatives

Source: MPA

The Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) and the International Association of Classification Societies (IACS) have signed a Letter of Intent (LOI) to collaborate on various maritime digitalization and decarbonization initiatives.The LOI was signed by Teo Eng Dih, Chief Executive of MPA, and Nick Brown, Council Chairman of IACS, at the sidelines of the 33rd session of the IMO Assembly in London this week.Under the LOI, both parties will consider the development of technical standards and unified requirements to ensure that new maritime solutions are safely implemented.

30 Nov 2023

Arsenio Dominguez Velasco Confirmed as Next IMO Secretary-General

Source: IMO

Arsenio Antonio Dominguez Velasco has been confirmed as the next Secretary-General of the IMO. The IMO Assembly unanimously approved the decision of the Council at its 129th session on November 30.Dominguez Velasco will take up the office of Secretary-General on January 1, 2024, for an initial term of four years. He becomes the Organization's 10th elected Secretary-General.The outgoing Secretary-General, Kitack Lim, congratulated his successor on his appointment. "I am confident that the Membership as a whole has made a wise decision, and that Mr.

29 Nov 2023

SAR Officer Caleb Halle Receives 2023 IMO Bravery Award

Caleb Halle courtesy of the IMO.

The 2023 IMO Award for Exceptional Bravery at Sea has been presented to Caleb Halle, Aviation Survival Technician Second Class (AST2) of the United States Coast Guard (USCG). He was recognized for the outstanding courage, endurance and determination he showed during the rescue of the seven-strong crew of the tugboat Legacy in January 2023.AST2 Halle, based at the Coast Guard Air Station Atlantic City, received the award at the annual IMO Awards Ceremony in London. The ceremony…

04 Oct 2023

Russia Says IMO Losing Impartiality

Source: IMO

The U.N. shipping agency is departing from its impartial role due to "external pressure" and is being used in the interests of "a minor group of beneficiaries", which is impacting the fair treatment of all member countries, Russia said in a submission to the global shipping regulator published this week.The London-based International Maritime Organization (IMO) is responsible for regulating the safety and security of international shipping and preventing pollution and comprises 175 member state countries.In December…

19 Jul 2023

Anneliese Jost to Receive IMO International Maritime Prize

Anneliese Jost (Photo: IMO)

Germany's Anneliese Jost has been selected as the recipient of the International Maritime Prize for 2022, the the International Maritime Organization (IMO) announced. The decision was made by the IMO Council at its 129th session, being held July 17-21, after Jost was nominated for the award by the Government of the Federal Republic of Germany.In its statement supporting her nomination for the prize, Germany cited Jost's "crucial contribution towards achieving the objectives of IMO…

18 Jul 2023

Panama's Arsenio Dominguez Elected as IMO Secretary General

Arsenio Antonio Dominguez Velasco (Photo: IMO)

The International Maritime Organization's Council (IMO) has elected Arsenio Antonio Dominguez Velasco from Panama as its secretary-general, the UN shipping agency said on Tuesday.Dominguez beat six other contenders from China, Turkey, Kenya, Finland, Dominica and Bangladesh in a vote and will take office on January 1, 2024, for a four-year term, subject to the approval of the IMO Assembly.Dominguez will take the helm at a crucial time as the shipping industry grapples with challenges including pressures to speed up decarbonization.A trained naval architect…

15 Jul 2022

IMLI Director Attard Wins International Maritime Prize

Professor David Joseph Attard - Credit: IMO

The outgoing Director of the IMO International Maritime Law Institute (IMLI), Professor David Joseph Attard, has been selected by the IMO Council to be the recipient of the International Maritime Prize for 2021. Professor Attard was nominated for the award by the Republic of Malta. In the nomination, the impact that Professor Attard has had on the maritime world, particularly via his three-decade-long role at IMLI was highlighted. The Maltese national was responsible for proposing, in 1987, together with the late Dr.

13 Dec 2021

IMO Assembly Elects New 40-member Council

(Photo: IMO)

The Assembly of the International Maritime Organization (IMO) has elected the Members of its Council for the 2022-2023 biennium.The Council is the executive organ of IMO and is responsible, under the Assembly, for supervising the work of the Organization. Between sessions of the Assembly, the Council performs the functions of the Assembly, except that of making recommendations to Governments on maritime safety and pollution prevention.The Assembly of the International Maritime…

08 Dec 2021

USCG Says Sexual Assault Offenders Will Be Held Accountable

© Alex Stemmers / Adobe Stock

The U.S. Coast Guard on Tuesday issued a statement expressing its commitment to crack down on sexual assault offenders in the maritime industry.The statement comes as the Coast Guard, U.S. Department of Transportation's Maritime Administration (MARAD) and lawmakers grappled with a raft of new sexual assault and harassment allegations revealed online by current and former cadets at America's federal and state maritime academies. The U.S. Merchant Marine Academy (USMMA) recently…

12 Nov 2021

IMO Creates International Day for Women in Maritime

© Nopphon / Adobe Stock

The International Maritime Organization (IMO) Council, meeting from November 8-12, established an International Day for Women in Maritime, to be observed on May 18 every year.Once adopted by the IMO Assembly in December 2021, the observance will celebrate women in the industry, promote the recruitment, retention and sustained employment of women in the maritime sector, raise the profile of women in maritime, strengthen IMO's commitment to Sustainable Development Goal 5 (gender equality) and support work to address the current gender imbalance in maritime.IMO Secretary-General Kitack Lim said…

06 Oct 2021

IMO to Establish Regional Office for the Pacific Islands

© Sergii Figurnyi / Adobe Stock

IMO's Technical Cooperation Committee at its 71st session (TC 71) (20-24 September) has approved the establishment of an IMO Regional Presence Office (RPO) for the Pacific Islands region. If approved at the thirty-fourth extraordinary session of the Council (08 - 12 November 2021), this will see the Pacific Region become the sixth to feature an IMO RPO.The existing RPOs are: Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire for west and central Africa (Francophone); Accra, Ghana for west and central Africa (Anglophone)…

27 Jan 2020

IMO, WISTA Join on Gender Diversity

The Women's International Shipping and Trading Association Limited (WISTA International) and International Maritime Organization (IMO) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding on promoting greater diversity and inclusion through enhanced cooperation activities in the maritime field.According to a press release from the UN body, these activities will lay the groundwork for further discussion on how a diverse workforce will be essential for a sustainable future.Initiatives already under way include a study to collect and analyze data on the number of women employed in the maritime sector; developing a database of female experts in a wide…

23 Nov 2018

IMO's Lim Gets Nod for Second Term

The IMO Council has agreed to renew the appointment of Kitack Lim as Secretary-General of the IMO for a second four-year term, beginning 1 January 2020, subject to the approval of the IMO Assembly in December 2019.

20 Jun 2018

Liberia Backs Australia’s Push for IMO Reform

Scott Bergeron, CEO of the Liberian Registry (Photo: Liberian Registry)

The Liberian Registry says its supports Australia's call for the International Maritime Organization (IMO) to reconsider transparency and the role of industry bodies in the organization.As one of the world's largest flag states, Liberia is now the largest to support the push, which will lead to a submission to the IMO Council meeting in July calling into question the existing role of the IMO Council and the IMO Assembly, and seeking to facilitate greater transparency and the wider…

23 Jul 2019

"IMO Joe" Angelo Honored

Mr. Joseph J. Angelo (Photo: IMO)

The International Maritime Prize for 2018 will be awarded to Joseph J. Angelo, a former United States Coast Guard (USCG) and International Association of Independent Tanker Owners (INTERTANKO) senior executive who participated in International Maritime Organization (IMO) meetings for many years, providing leadership on a number of key regulatory developments.The IMO Council, meeting for its 122nd session in London (July 15-19) decided to award the Prize to Mr. Angelo, in recognition…

03 Jul 2019

Implementation of IMO Instruments

The International Maritime Organization (IMO) informed that the Sub-Committee on Implementation of IMO Instruments (III) brings together flag, port and coastal States, together with observer delegations, to consider implementation issues.At its sixth session (1-5 July), the Sub-Committee is expected to finalize updates to key instruments which assist in implementation, said the UN body.The key instruments include the updated Survey Guidelines under the Harmonized System of Survey and Certification, the Non-exhaustive list of obligations under instruments relevant to the IMO instruments implementation Code (III Code), and Procedures for port State control…

19 Feb 2020

IMO Spotlight on Empowering Maritime Women

International Maritime Organization (IMO) headquarters in London has hosted yesterday 19 (February 19) a a major symposium on empowering maritime women.Removing barriers to women joining the maritime sector, the importance of education and how to increase visibility of women in maritime leadership roles – these were some of the key challenges under the spotlight.The symposium was part of IMO’s continuing efforts to maintain momentum in empowering women in the maritime community, and follow the 2019 IMO Assembly resolution to preserve the legacy of the 2019 World MaritimeTheme and work towards a barrier-free environment for women throughout…

24 Sep 2018

IMO Member State Audit Summary Goes to Sub-Committee

The first consolidated audit summary report from mandatory audits conducted under the IMO Member State Audit Scheme will be considered this week, when the Sub-Committee on Implementation of IMO Instruments meets for its fifth session (III 5, 24-28 September).The mandatory audit of all Member States commenced in 2016, with the aim of determining the extent to which they give full and complete effect to their obligations and responsibilities contained in a number of IMO treaty instruments.The first summary report will provide vital information to assist the regulatory work of IMO as well as helping to identify capacity building or technical…

28 Nov 2019

India Accedes to Ship Recycling Convention

India, one of the world's five major ship recycling countries, has acceded to the IMO Hong Kong Convention, the treaty that will set global standards for safe and environmentally-sound ship recycling.India's accession brings this important convention a significant step closer to entering into force, with the required 15 States now party to it and with India's ship recycling volume considerably contributing to the required recycling capacity.The Hong Kong Convention1 covers the design, construction, operation and maintenance of ships to ensure they can be recycled safely and in an environment-friendly way at the end of their lives. It also deals with how ships should be prepared for their final voyage to a recycling facility…

27 Nov 2019

Training for L. American Maritime Leaders

A regional workshop organized by International Maritime Organization (IMO) has provided senior maritime administration officials in Latin America with the latest information on current and future developments at the Organization.The workshop for the regional maritime authorities networks, ROCRAM and ROCRAM-CA was held at IMO Headquarters in London (26 November) in the margin of the 31st IMO Assembly.The 28 participants received detailed information about the activities within the IMO's Integrated Technical Cooperation Program (ITCP) aimed at building capacity in the region to comply with international rules and standards related to maritime safety and the prevention of maritime pollution.Participants also heard from technical officers on issues such as the IMO Audits Scheme.

08 Dec 2017

Liberia Re-elected to IMO Council

Photo: The Liberian Registry

Liberia has been re-elected to the Council of the International Maritime Organization (IMO), a position it has held continuously since 2012. Commissioner of the Liberia Maritime Authority, Dr James Kollie, says, “It is very gratifying to see Liberia reconfirmed in its position as a leading maritime nation and decision-maker at the IMO. Liberia is among the most proactive and responsible maritime nations in the world, in accordance with its position as the leading quality open registry serving the global shipping industry and ensuring seafarers’ welfare.

11 Dec 2017

IMO Assembly Adopts Vision, Strategic Directions

The IMO Assembly met for its 30th session at  International Maritime Organization (IMO) Headquarters in London, United Kingdom (27 November to 6 December). The Assembly was the largest-ever gathering at IMO Headquarters in London, attended by some 1,400 participants, including 56 at the ministerial level, from 165 Member States, as well as observers from inter-governmental and non-governmental organizations. The Assembly adopted its strategic plan for 2018-2023, including a revised mission statement, a vision statement (included for the first time) and seven newly-identified strategic directions for IMO, placing the Organization firmly on route to supporting the implementation of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.