Strict regulation critical to shipping activities, says IMO
Okays £92.1m budget for 2016-2017
THE International Maritime Organization (IMO) has advised member nations to drop ‘unnecessary administrative’ as part of measures to successfully adopt shipping regulations
Meanwhile, the council has reached on a draft resolution establishing that international shipping regulation must be sharper,
imposing fewer administrative burdens for the benefit of seafarers, shipowners and administrations alike.
The resolution lists five principles of better regulation: necessity, consistency, proportionality, flexibility and clarity.
According to a statement, bearing these principles in mind, all 171 IMO Member States are reminded of the obligation to carefully consider the situation before grabbing pen and paper and drawing up new regulations, adding that “Regulations should be goal-based and less prescriptive”.
Danish Maritime Authority said: “Denmark has actively kept the reduction of administrative burdens on the IMO agenda. In the Danish view, it is therefore positive that the IMO establishes the importance of better regulation through a resolution,”
The resolution is to be adopted by the IMO Assembly that is to meet in November 2015.The Council also approved the Secretary-General’s budget proposal for 2016-2017, covering a total of £92.1m.
In general, the Member States expressed wide support for the initiatives launched by the Secretary-General Koji Sekimizu to tighten the budget of the organization and keep down the Member States’ contributions.
Meanwhile, the heads of maritime administrations of French-speaking west and central African countries gathered in Abidjan, Cote d’ Ivoire, recently, for their first regional meeting, which is being facilitated by IMO and hosted by the Ports and Maritime Affairs Directorate of Cote d’Ivoire.
Opening the meeting, Prime Minister of Cote d’ Ivoire, Daniel Duncan, reiterated the need for maritime administrations in the region to redouble their efforts in taking full advantage of the resources of their maritime domain for the economic benefits of the region.
The meeting also aims to create a forum for the exchange and sharing of experiences and ideas by decision makers of the maritime sector in the region and to the heads of Maritime Administrations on the current work of IMO with a view to encouraging and enhancing their involvement and participation.
IMO has also disclosed that it is holding a two-week training programme on advanced criminal investigations at sea for maritime law enforcement officers (29 June to 10 July) at NATO’s Maritime Interdiction Operational Training Centre (NMIOTC) in Crete, Greece.
The course is designed for officers from training institutions of marine police, coast guard, naval forces or equivalent, employed as trainers in maritime law enforcement or those earmarked to become trainers. The training is developed in close cooperation with East African Standby Force (EASF) and the Djibouti Regional Training Centre (DRTC). Participants from Comoros, Djibouti, Kenya, Seychelles, Madagascar, Mozambique, Saudia Arabia, Tanzania and Somalia are attending the course.
