The Maritime Safety Committee (MSC), 104th session, 4-8 October 202, approved a draft IMO Assembly resolution consolidating issues related to crew change, access to medical care, ʺkey workerʺ designation and seafarers’ prioritization for COVID-19 vaccination, with a view to adoption at the 32nd session of the IMO Assembly (6-15 December 2021).
IMO has signed three partnership agreements with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to support the preparation of a new global project that targets ship-based emissions. Further funding goes to existing projects focused on biofouling and marine plastic litter.
The agreements, signed by IMO Secretary-General Kitack Lim and His Excellency Mr. Saleh bin Nasser al-Jasser, Minister of Transport and Logistic Services, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (28 September), will see US$509,000 going to the three environmental initiatives.
On 30 September 2021, IMO and the global maritime community come together to celebrate the annual World Maritime Day, with a focus on this year’s theme: “Seafarers: At the core of shipping’s future”.
The 2021 theme was chosen as part of a year of action for seafarers, who play a vital role as key workers for global supply chains but are facing unprecedented hardship due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Women in maritime took centre stage at the inauguration of the Women in Maritime of West and Central Africa (WIMOWCA), the newest IMO-supported regional association for women in the maritime sector (WIMA).
IMO Secretary-General Kitack Lim has welcomed the World Health Organization‘s decision to name seafarers as one of the groups of transportation workers that should be prioritised for COVID-19 vaccination in instances of limited supplies.
2021 marks a decade of action since IMO adopted the first set of mandatory energy efficiency measures for ships.
The International Maritime Organization (IMO) is marking a decade of action on cutting greenhouse gas emissions from shipping, since the first set of international mandatory measures to improve ships’ energy efficiency was adopted on 15 July 2011, as part of the International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships (MARPOL).
New due diligence tool aims to help businesses uphold their responsibility to protect human rights at sea.
This is the message from the IMO who have issued a wide-ranging set of guidance to help enterprises using shipping services to protect the human rights of seafarers, as hundred of thousands are still stranded on ships due to COVID-19 imposed travel restrictions.
The Human Rights Due Diligence Tool is a joint initiative of the UN Global Compact (UNGC), the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (UN Human Rights), the International Labour Organization (ILO) and the International Maritime Organization (IMO).
Crew change crisis is far from over and issues around vaccination need to be resolved. The crew change crisis caused by COVID-19 restrictions continues to cause challenges, despite some improvement … Read more here..
The country where the ship has been registered is called a FLAG STATE and this registration grants the ship physical and legal protection afforded under that that flag/flag state which is usually applied to vital areas such as safety of cargo and life of those on board the ship..
Flag states have the legal authority and responsibility to enforce regulations upon vessels that are registered under its flag, including regulations relating to inspection, certification, safety, and pollution and a ship owner or operator who registers their ship under a flag must meet the standards set by the Flag State and ensure that national and international regulations are being met..
The International Chamber of Shipping has released the Shipping Industry Flag State Performance Table for 2020/2021..
IMO Secretary-General Kitack Lim has spoken out against “no crew change” clauses in charterparties, pointing out that such clauses exacerbate the dire situation of stranded seafarers and undermine the efforts undertaken to resolve the ongoing crew change crisis.
So-called “no crew change” clauses, which are demanded by certain charterers, state that no crew changes can occur whilst the charterer’s cargo is onboard – hence not allowing the ship to deviate to ports where crew changes could take place.
On 24 September, IMO and the global maritime community came together to celebrate the annual World Maritime Day.
The 2020 theme is “Sustainable Shipping for a Sustainable Planet”.
A humanitarian crisis is taking place at sea and urgent action is needed to protect seafarers’ health and ensure the safety of shipping, the IMO Secretary-General Kitack Lim has warned.
In a strong statement issued ahead of the General Assembly of the United Nations, he called on governments to take swift action to resolve the crew change crisis.
No, this article is not about the well-known concept of Just In Time in manufacturing..
But for interest, Toyota Motors created the Just In Time principle for their manufacturing plants based on which, they produce “only what is needed, when it is needed, and in the amount needed” eliminating waste, inconsistencies which results in improved productivity..
This JIT concept has been widely accepted and used by many other industries and has become synonymous with many supply chain processes of automotive, retail and fashion industries..
While not exactly the same, it seems this could also be applied in the maritime field especially in terms of the arrival of ships..
How..??
The third phase of an IMO-implemented project to enhance safe and environmentally sound ship recycling in Bangladesh has been given the go-ahead, with Norway committing approximately US$1.5 million (14 million Norwegian Kroner) to support improved ship recycling in Bangladesh.
IMO Secretary-General Kitack Lim has welcomed the commitment of 12 countries to facilitate crew changes and achieve key worker designation for seafarers, following a virtual ministerial summit hosted by the UK Government on 9 July.
This step represents significant progress to help resolve a growing crisis facing the maritime industry, and enable hundreds of thousands of stranded seafarers to go home or join ships.