United Nations Office News

International Maritime Organization (IMO)'s rules and regulations for suppressing unlawful acts against the safety of navigation can be seen in the wider context of the global fight against terrorism.The United Nations Counter-Terrorism Committee Executive Directorate (UNCTED) carries out assessment visits to countries to assess their compliance with various international security instruments and UN Security Council resolutions.IMO took part in a follow-up visit to the United Kingdom (7-11 October) together with experts from Interpol, the World Customs Organization and the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, particularly to assess the country's implementation of the special maritime security measures in IMO's SOLAS chapter XI-2…

Maritime law enforcement officials from Kenya are taking part in a two week training course on best practices for visit, board, search and seizure of vessels, in Mombasa, Kenya (11-22 February).The multi-agency course brings together 30 officials to learn skills for effective coordination in combating maritime crimes and procedures used to successfully board and search a vessel of interest.The training is part of International Maritime Organization (IMO)’s support for implementing the Jeddah Amendment to Djibouti Code of Conduct 2017, a regional agreement against maritime crime in the Gulf of Aden and western Indian Ocean area, which…

International Maritime Organization (IMO) maritime security and counter-terrorism treaties are key international instruments supporting countries to counter terrorism.The UN body said that to boost implementation of these treaties in South and South-East Asia, IMO and the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) conducted a cross-regional workshop in Bali, Indonesia (5-8-February).The workshop was addressing the need to ratify the relevant international counter-terrorism instruments and to incorporate their provisions into national laws as well as promoting multi-agency and regional collaboration.The event builds on recent national workshops held in Bangladesh…

Legal experts and port and maritime security officers from Bangladesh, Maldives and Sri Lanka have gathered at  International Maritime Organization (IMO)  in London (27-29 November) for a focused sub-regional workshop on implementing transport-related (maritime) counter terrorism instruments.A press note from IMO said that the joint United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) and IMO Counter Terrorism/Security sub-regional workshop was a follow-up to three national workshops in the same countries."This is part of an ongoing UNODC/IMO project to boost implementation of IMO maritime security and counter terrorism treaties, including SOLAS Chapter XI-2 and the suppression of unlawful acts (SUA) instruments.

The European Union and the Global Maritime Crime Programme of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC GMCP) have a long and effective relation in building capacities to tackle maritime crimes.The EU and the Global Maritime Crime Programme of UNODC started partnering in 2010 to support Eastern African states (Kenya, Seychelles, Mauritius and Tanzania) prosecuting piracy incidents off the coast of Somalia.Currently, the EU and UNODC GMCP are jointly working on  capacity building support in Somalia, including training and mentoring of the Mogadishu Maritime Police Unit.The Global Maritime Crime Programme is currently preparing…

Italian police said on Thursday they found 20 tonnes of hash worth as much as 200 million euros ($232 million) in the fuel tanks of a Panama-flagged ship that was stopped in international waters and escorted to Sicily.The entire 11-person crew, all from Montenegro, was arrested for international drugs trafficking, Italy's finance police said in a statement.The research and survey vessel Remus left the Canary Islands bound for Egypt and Turkey, but police surveillance showed it had turned off its position transmitter near the coast of North Africa, raising investigators' suspicions.With the permission of Panamanian authorities, Italian finance police seized the vessel in international waters on July 31 and escorted it to Palermo.

The challenges posed by maritime crime are bringing about discussions on legal issues involving the interpretation and implementation of maritime law. As a result, a workshop has taken place in Sri Lanka, Colombo (18-20 June) where maritime law experts and practitioners from around the world met to participate in two main sessions aimed at gathering State practice and interpretation information related to international legal instruments. The first session looked at Article 17 of the United Nations Convention against Illicit Traffic in Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances of 1988 (The Vienna Convention) and the treatment of Stateless Vessels.

Global trade by sea is dependent on the interconnection between ships, ports and people - and everyone needs to be involved, from port operators, to regulators, to maritime security experts and innovators in technology. The theme of mutual cooperation and collaboration was highlighted throughout a special event on ports, held at  International Maritime Organization (IMO) Headquarters (11 June). The Special Port Event was supported by IMO Secretary-General Kitack Lim, in collaboration with the International Association of Ports and Harbors (IAPH). Across four sessions, 18 panellists shared their views on port related issues such as automation and digitalisation…

"The bottom line is that doubling your talent pool just makes sense", said Chris Trelawny,  International Maritime Organization (IMO)'s special Adviser on Maritime Security, as he opened the Women in Maritime Security conference held at IMO Headquarters (24 May). Women are increasingly present at sea, as they defy traditional expectations. Their full and meaningful participation in the economy, political decision-making, and society is key to addressing maritime challenges, but gender equity in the maritime space is too often overlooked. The One Earth Future foundation, the International Maritime Organization (IMO), and the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) hosted "Women, Peace, and Maritime Security: Equal Opportunities in Maritime Security".

Signatory States to an agreement aimed at repressing piracy, armed robbery and illicit maritime activity in the western Indian Ocean and the Gulf of Aden Area have agreed that building response capability and information sharing are vital steps towards achieving a more safe and secure maritime environment. The signatories to the revised Code of Conduct concerning the repression of piracy, armed robbery against ships and illicit maritime activity in the western Indian Ocean and the Gulf of Aden Area, known as the Jeddah Amendment to the Djibouti Code of Conduct 2017, were meeting In Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, for a high level workshop (7-10 May) for all signatory States and States eligible to sign the Jeddah Amendment, donors and implementing partners.

Cooperation amongst various government agencies can be key to achieving maximum maritime security enforcement. This was the theme running through the latest national table-top exercise on maritime security, held in Lagos, Nigeria (14-16 March). Representatives from various government agencies which form the national implementation committee for the International ship and Port Facilities Security (ISPS) Code participated in the workshop. The findings and recommendations from this exercise will help form the basis of a maritime security strategy. This forms part of a project to strengthen the Nigerian Criminal Justice response to maritime crime threats which  International Maritime Organization (IMO) is delivering in conjunction with the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC)…

International Maritime Organization (IMO) 's maritime security provisions and the IMO treaties for the suppression of unlawful acts against the safety of navigation can be seen in the wider context of the global fight against terrorism. The United Nations Counter-Terrorism Committee Executive Directorate (UNCTED) carries out assessment visits to countries to assess their compliance with various international security instruments. IMO has participated in a follow-up UNCTED assessment visit to Greece (31 January to 1 February), alongside the World Customs Organization (WCO), the International Organization for Migration (IOM), the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) and the international police agency Interpol.

Unsafe mixed migration by sea continues to claim many lives, despite the strenuous efforts made by Governmental and naval rescue services, often supported by merchant vessels, abiding by the long-standing tradition and legal obligation to go to the rescue of persons in distress at sea. The complexities of this humanitarian challenge were discussed on Monday (30 October) at a meeting hosted by the International Maritime Organization (IMO), bringing together representatives of UN agencies, the maritime industry and European Union naval forces. For the rescued and seafarers alike, the experience can be harrowing. A modern merchant vessel is unsuited to carrying large numbers of survivors…

Over the last few decades, marine environments have undergone widespread deterioration. To help turn this tide, the Our Ocean Conference 2017 held in Malta (2-3 October) brought together world leaders looking to commit to actions to reduce marine pollution, manage aquatic resources sustainably, mitigate climate change, and set up marine sanctuaries. International Maritime Organization (IMO) attended the conference and reaffirmed its commitments made at the UN Oceans Conference in New York in June 2017 to develop, maintain and implement a set of global regulations to ensure shipping's sustainable use of the oceans. The event, which took place under the theme "An Ocean for Life…

United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres has appointed Peter Thomson of Fiji as his Special Envoy for the Ocean, aiming at galvanizing concerted efforts to follow up on the outcomes of the United Nations Ocean Conference in support of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, maintaining the momentum for action to conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources for sustainable development. Thomson will lead the United Nations advocacy and public outreach efforts inside and outside of the United Nations system, ensuring that the many positive outcomes of the Ocean Conference, including the close to 1,400 voluntary commitments, are fully analysed and implemented.

A three-week training course on maritime law enforcement for the Middle Eastern countries surrounding the Gulf of Aden concluded  May 4 in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. The course brought together specialists from 14 signatory countries* to the Djibouti Code of Conduct – the IMO instrument helping to repress piracy and armed robbery against ships in the Western Indian Ocean and the Gulf of Aden. Participants covered topics covered under the recently adopted Jeddah amendment to the Djibouti Code – such as how to suppress a range of illicit activities. These include piracy, arms trafficking, trafficking in narcotics, illegal trade in wildlife, illegal oil bunkering, crude oil theft, human trafficking, human smuggling, and illegal dumping of toxic waste.

International Maritime Organization (IMO) has conducted a national port security and facilitation workshop at the Djibouti Regional Training Centre (DRTC). The workshop (7-8 March) was highlighting IMO's maritime security and facilitation requirements and showcases the range of IMO and other training courses, guidance and tools available, including new port-focused training packages developed in line with the World Maritime Day theme, "Connecting ships, ports and people". The aim is to identify Djibouti's national training needs and showcase the potential of the DRTC for delivering national and regional training, including for maritime safety, security, facilitation and protection of the marine environment.

An international agreement that has been instrumental in repressing piracy and armed robbery against ships in the western Indian Ocean and the Gulf of Aden has seen its scope significantly broadened to cover other illicit maritime activities, including human trafficking and illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing. A high-level meeting of signatories to the Djibouti Code of Conduct, held in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia (10 to 12 January 2017) has adopted a revised Code of Conduct, which will be known as the “Jeddah Amendment to the Djibouti Code of Conduct 2017”. The participatory States agreed to work together, with support from IMO and other stakeholders…

Flirtey, a Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine doctor and the Field Innovation Team showcase humanitarian potential of drones for the United Nations and American Red Cross. Drone delivery service Flirtey and Dr. Timothy Amukele, assistant professor of pathology at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, successfully conducted the first ship-to-shore drone delivery in the U.S. on the New Jersey coastline. “Imagine a future where in the event of a natural disaster like Hurricane Sandy…

The United Nations Security Council on Monday expressed its deep concern over piracy and armed robbery at sea in the Gulf of Guinea, and stressed the importance of a comprehensive approach — led by States of the region, with international support — to address the problem and its root causes. Issuing presidential statement S/PRST/2016/4, the Council strongly condemned acts of murder, kidnapping, hostage-taking and robbery by pirates in the Gulf, and underlined the importance of determining any links between piracy and armed robbery at sea, and terrorist groups in West Africa and the Sahel subregions. It encouraged regional organizations — including the African Union…

The security situation in the Indian Ocean could quickly change for the worse, according to maritime security company MAST. Gerry Northwood OBE, COO of MAST, said, “For commercial shipping, the Indian Ocean is arguably the safest ocean on the planet. “Yet we continue to see speculative approaches by skiffs equipped with assault rifles and ladders,” Northwood said. “A MAST team recently fired warning shots at a skiff to prevent a boarding attempt in the southern Red Sea. “There are other warning signs indicating the security situation could deteriorate,” He added. Alan Cole, an official at the United Nations Office for Drugs and Crime, expressed concern that illegal fishing in the Indian Ocean and Horn of Africa might be a catalyst for a return to piracy.

Prompted by recent incidents in which hundreds of migrants attempting to cross the Mediterranean to Europe have lost their lives, including dozens found dead in the holds of the ships that were carrying them, International Maritime Organization (IMO) Secretary-General Koji Sekimizu has voiced strong condemnation and refreshed calls for concerted action to tackle people smugglers. Sekimizu noted that smugglers were sending people to sea in craft that were totally unsuitable for passengers and crowding them on board to levels that were completely unsafe.

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.