Somalia Stakeholders Forum Reviews Maritime Code
The revised Somalia Maritime Code is being finalized at a four-day Stakeholders Forum, sponsored by International Maritime Organization (IMO) (Kigali, Rwanda 12-15 July).
The workshop is part of IMO’s ongoing technical assistance to the Federal Government of Somalia and regional authorities in establishing a Maritime Administration for Somalia capable of undertaking flag, port and coastal states duties in line with IMO instruments.
The revised Code reflects developments in international maritime law and best practices and as such provides the necessary legal backing for the effective functioning of the Somalia National Maritime Administration.
The forum is being attended by 25 legal and maritime experts from Somalia, led by the Minister of Ports and Marine Transport of the Federal Government of Somalia, Hon. Nur Farah Hersi.
The official Launch of the review process took place in Mogadishu, Somalia (10 July) and was organised by IMO with support from the United Nations Assistance Mission to Somalia (UNSOM).
During the launch, the Deputy Prime Minister of the Federal Government of Somalia, HE Mohamed Omar Arte, hailed the move as a milestone in re-positioning the country to take full advantage of its extensive littoral heritage covering more than 3,300 kilometers of coastline, one of the longest in Africa.
In his keynote address, the Deputy Prime Minister thanked IMO for its technical assistance thus far, and welcomed the prospect of further assistance from IMO to meet the country’s maritime capacity challenges.
IMO’s William Azuh, (Head, Africa Section, TCD, Kiruja Micheni (Project Officer, Djibouti Code of Conduct, MSD) and Purity Thirimu (Principal Progamme Assistant, TCD) and Alexander Buabeng, Maritime Legislation consultant are in Kigali supporting the Stakeholders Forum.
The IMO programme for Somalia on the establishment of a National Maritime Administration started in 2014. IMO has worked with officials in Somalia to develop policy framework and draft regulations for the establishment of a national Maritime Administration and to produce the draft revised Somalia Maritime Code.
Last year, IMO conducted a workshop on coastal State, flag State and port State responsibilities to prepare selected Somali officials to participate effectively during the stakeholder reviews of the Maritime Code and the establishment of the Department of Maritime Administration (Nairobi, Kenya, 19-23 Nov 2015).
