Technical Cooperation Division News

Arsenio Dominguez, who took up office as the 10th elected Secretary-General of the IMO on January 1, has named his Senior Management Committee members:  Director of Administrative Division: Azara PrempehDirector of Maritime Safety Division: Hiroyuki YamadaDirector of Legal Affairs and External Relations Division: Dorota Lost-SieminskaDirector of Marine Environment Division: Heike DeggimDirector of Technical Cooperation Division: Jose MatheickalDirector of Conference Division: Xiaojie ZhangChief of Staff: Damien Chevallier.

The IMO and the Republic of Korea have signed a suite of agreements to formally establish and boost the IMO-Republic of Korea Sustainable Maritime Transport Cooperation (SMART-C) program.The goal of the KRW 25.5 billion (approximately $20 million) SMART-C program is to promote sustainable maritime transport systems and a sustainable marine environment by building knowledge and developing technical capacity in developing countries via long-term thematic projects.This Official Development Assistance (ODA) funding will ensure long-term programming of several technical cooperation projects.

Africa's abundance of solar, wind and thermal energy across the continent can place Africa at the core of the global decarbonization of maritime transport, the IMO conference on Low-Carbon Shipping in Africa heard on May 5.Speaking at the Conference, held in In Mombasa, Kenya, and co-organized with the Kenya Maritime Authority, The Hon. Kwaku Ofori Asiamah, Minister of Transport, Ghana, said Africa is the key to speeding up global climate action on the Decarbonization Agenda.

International Maritime Organization (IMO) has signed a new Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Republic of Chile, to extend Chile's technical assistance to countries in the Caribbean region, in addition to Latin America.According to the UN body, the MoU on Technical Cooperation, signed by the Directorate General of Maritime Territory and Merchant Marine (DIRECTEMAR) of the Republic of Chile, replaces earlier MoUs (signed in 2002 and 2005) and strengthens the collaboration between IMO and DIRECTEMAR for the provision of technical assistance in the Latin America and the Caribbean Region."This will particularly support the provision of experts (including Spanish-speaking experts) to deliver training in Latin America and the Caribbean…

A wide-ranging discussion during the "Africa@Nor-Shipping" event in Oslo, Norway (5 June) explored a host of topics related to unlocking the full potential of Africa’s blue economy.Three separate expert panels addressed competition among different maritime sectors, ocean governance and the importance of complying with international regulatory regimes, particularly International Maritime Organization (IMO)’s ship safety, maritime security and environment rules.Much discussion  centred around viewing challenges as chances to grow, and the need to learn lessons from the past. Ensuring African ownership and participation was highlighted…

A full house at the IMO side event at the Sustainable Blue Economy Conference has brought together experts in the maritime sector, trade and development.Member States of the African Union, United Nations agencies, national governments, regional and international development agencies, development and financial institutions, maritime professionals and experts, civil societies, port authorities, port management associations, shipowner and fishing vessel owner organizations, as well as relevant universities, training institutions, relevant businesses and the private sector participated in the event.The event, on “How States can leverage…

International Maritime Organization (IMO)’s globally recognized training centre, the IMO International Maritime Law Institute (IMLI), has held its 29th annual graduation ceremony at the Maritime Museum in Vittoriosa, Malta (9 June). Fifty-one students from 41 countries graduated from programs covering all areas of international maritime law in a ceremony presided over by IMO Secretary-General and Chair of the IMLI Governing Board, Kitack Lim, who heralded the Institute and congratulated the graduates on their achievement. Prior to the ceremony, Secretary-General Lim paid a courtesy call on the Prime Minister of Malta, Joseph Muscat in Valletta, and expressed his appreciation to the Prime Minister and the Government of Malta for its continued support to IMLI.

An eight-day training course on the latest tools, processes and procedures in the investigation of marine incidents is taking place in Victoria, Seychelles (7-15 November). The course will focus in particular on how to carry out such investigations in accordance with the mandatory  International Maritime Organization (IMO)  Casualty Investigation Code. William Azuh of the Technical Cooperation Division and Ms Purity Thirimu of IMO Regional Presence Office, Nairobi, are coordinating the training course. Twenty five participants are drawn from the Seychelles Marine Accident Investigation Board, Department of Transport, Seychelles Maritime Safety Administration…

The winners of the Worldwide Ferry Safety Association’s (WFSA) Safe Affordable Ferry Competition, as determined by a panel of judges, have been announced by WFSA Executive Director Dr. Roberta Weisbrod. The requirements of this year’s competition were to design a safe and affordable RoPax ferry able to transport 185 passengers plus a crew of 15 and cargo carrying vehicles on a route linking five islands surrounding Indonesia’s Savu Sea. Taking home first place honors is the University of Strathclyde, which will earn a $5,000 prize for its Savutec ferry.

Dr. Roberta Weisbrod, Executive Director of the Worldwide Ferry Safety Association (WFSA) has announced that the winners of its Safe Affordable Ferry Competition will be made known at the Ferry Safety and Technology Conference. The conference, in its second year, will be held in downtown New York, June 2-3. The competition, a project of the WFSA, challenges teams of Naval Architecture students to design a vessel that would serve a population dependent on ferry transportation.

On June 2-3, 2016,  the Ferry Safety and Technology Conference will be held in downtown Manhattan. Throughout the world, the quickening pace of technological advances is impacting all sectors of the maritime business; ferries are no exception. The conference, now in its second year, will feature practical and affordable technologies already deployed in passenger transportation, or soon to be. Topics to be discussed will include Vessel Design; Landings – with a focus on their resiliency and Maritime Weather – with fresh information on timely fine scale marine weather detection. Information management and Communication applications will be center stage.

Korea’s Kitack Lim, whose term as IMO secretary-general began January 1, will address the opening conference session on October 17, following an invitation inspired by 10 years of IMO and Interferry cooperation to improve domestic ferry safety in developing nations. The campaign has recently focused on Southeast Asia, where an estimated 10,000 have died in domestic ferry incidents since the year 2000. Last year the joint initiative progressed with a special conference in Manila…

A three-day Stakeholders Forum will be held April 27-29 to review draft guidelines for the establishment of a Somalia Maritime Administration, coordinated and funded by the International Maritime organization (IMO), is being hosted by the Kenya Maritime Authority at the Sarova Whitesands Beach Hotel, Mombasa, Kenya. According to the IMO, the event aims to develop a framework for establishing a Somalia Maritime Administration to provide governance and oversight within which to develop a sustainable maritime sector…

An agreement between the International Maritime Organization (IMO) and the Government of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh has been signed for the parties to collaboratively improve safety and environmental standards in the country’s ship-recycling industry. A Memorandum of Understanding formalizing the cooperation between the two was signed by Nicolaos Charalambous, Director, Technical Cooperation Division, IMO and Md. Ashadul Islam, Additional Secretary, Economic Relations Division of the Ministry of Finance of the Government of Bangladesh, on April 10, 2014.

The International Maritime Organization (IMO) and the Government of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh have signed a landmark agreement to work together to improve safety and environmental standards in the country’s ship-recycling industry. A Memorandum of Understanding formalizing the cooperation between the two was signed by Nicolaos Charalambous, Director, Technical Cooperation Division, IMO and Md. Ashadul Islam, Additional Secretary, Economic Relations Division of the Ministry of Finance of the Government of Bangladesh, on April 10 2014.

After taking office on 1 January 2012, the IMO Secretary-General Mr. Koji Sekimizu today announced a number of changes in the structure of the IMO Secretariat. Mr. Sekimizu said: “The biggest challenge I see in the coming years, in terms of management of the Organization, is how to improve the ‘delivery mechanism’ in the Secretariat to address the demanding issues we face, such as anti-piracy measures, the introduction of the mandatory Member State Audit Scheme and our ever-increasing workload.