IMO – Officer of the Watch

IMO MEPC 64 Decisions Summary

January 30, 2013 by Officer of the Watch Leave a Comment

The IMO MEPC held its 64th Session at IMO from Monday 1 through Friday 5 October with a high attendance of about 900 delegates. A Review Group on Ballast Water matters was formed together with 3 Working Groups on the subjects of Ship Recycling, Technical Co-Operation and Transfer of Technology, also Air Pollution and Energy Efficiency. In addition, 2 Drafting Groups studied Amendments to the IBC Code and Interpretations/Reports of sub-committees. Finally, an informal Technical Group met out-of-hours to report on the Saba Bank PSSA. The next MEPC meeting is scheduled during May 2013.

IMO Awards for Exceptional Bravery at Sea 2012

November 28, 2012 by Officer of the Watch 1 Comment

Canadian and Chilean rescuers have been presented with the International Maritime Organization (IMO) Award for Exceptional Bravery at Sea 2012, during a special ceremony held on 26 November 2012 at IMO Headquarters in London.

Canada Iron Fertilization Incident

November 5, 2012 by Officer of the Watch Leave a Comment

IMO released today a press briefing on concerns expressed by the Contracting Parties to the Convention on the Prevention of Marine Pollution by Dumping of Wastes and Other Matter, 1972 (London Convention) and to the 1996 Protocol thereto (London Protocol). The concerns expressed during the meeting in London from 29 October to 2 November 2012 are related to activities conducted by the Haida Salmon Restoration Corporation which involved the deliberate introduction into surface waters of 100 metric tonnes of iron sulfate during July 2012 in waters off the west coast of Canada.

IMO MEPC 64th session 1-5 Oct. 2012

October 1, 2012 by Officer of the Watch Leave a Comment

The Marine Environment Protection Committee (MEPC) of the International Maritime Organization (IMO) meets for its 64th session from 1 to 5 October 2012, at IMO Headquarters in London. As well as discussing matters relating to the implementation of energy-efficiency, ballast water management and ship-recycling regulations, the MEPC will also consider formally designating the Saba Bank, in the North-eastern Caribbean area of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, as a Particularly Sensitive Sea Area (PSSA).

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Filed Under: OOW FOCUS Tagged With: BWM, ECA, EEDI, energy efficiency, fuel oil, greenhouse gas, IBC Code, IMO, MARPOL Annex VI, MEPC, regulations, Safety & Quality, SEEMP, SOx

World Maritime Day 2012

September 27, 2012 by Officer of the Watch Leave a Comment

Today (27 September 2012) marks the 35th celebration of World Maritime Day. This year’s theme is: “IMO: One hundred years after the Titanic”, a theme chosen by the International Maritime Organization (IMO) to reflect on the safety of passenger shipping today, and into the future, on the centenary anniversary of the Titanic disaster.

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Filed Under: OOW FOCUS Tagged With: IMO, Koji Sekimizu, SOLAS, Titanic, World Maritime Day

MEPC 63 Outcome

July 26, 2012 by Officer of the Watch Leave a Comment

On the sixty-third session of the Marine Environment Protection Committee (MEPC 63) that took place from 27 February 2012 to 2 March 2012 the following have been discussed/decided.

MARPOL Annexes I, II, IV, V, and VI amendments have been adopted, aiming to enable Small Islands Developing States to comply with requirements regarding reception facilities for ship waste through regional arrangements. The amendments are expected to enter into force on 1 August 2013.

Limits of Liability for Maritime Claims Raised

July 13, 2012 by Officer of the Watch 1 Comment

Last April amendments to increase the limits of liability in the 1996 Protocol to the Convention on Limitation of Liability for Maritime Claims (LLMC Convention) were adopted by IMO’s Legal Committee, at its 99th session (16-20 April 2012).

The LLMC Convention sets specified limits of liability for two types of claims against shipowners – claims for loss of life or personal injury, and property claims (such as damage to other ships, property or harbour works). Taking into account the experience of incidents, as well as inflation rates, the limits set in the 1996 Protocol have, in recent years, been seen to be inadequate to cover the costs of claims, especially those arising from incidents involving bunker fuel spills.

SOLAS Amendments Came into Force on July 1st 2012

July 5, 2012 by Officer of the Watch Leave a Comment

The following amendments to the regulations annexed to the International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea, 1974 (SOLAS 74) adopted by Resolutions MSC.308(88) and MSC.309(88) came into force a few days ago: Regulation 41 of Chapter II-1, Regulations 1 and 3 of Chapter II-2, Regulation 7 of Chapter II-2, Regulation 18 of Chapter V, Regulation 23 of Chapter V.

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Filed Under: OOW FOCUS Tagged With: AIS, Amendments, FTP code, IMO, pilot transfer arrangements, regulations, Safety & Quality, SOLAS

Guidance for PMSC Agreed by IMO’s Maritime Safety Committee

May 27, 2012 by Officer of the Watch Leave a Comment

Interim guidance to private maritime security companies (PMSCs) was agreed by IMO’s Maritime Safety Committee (MSC), when it met at the Organization’s London Headquarters for its 90th session from 16 to 25 May 2012.

A special high-level segment of the MSC saw an intense debate, on how the international community should deal with issues related to the deployment of privately contracted armed security personnel (PCASP) on board ships and the carriage of arms on board.]

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Filed Under: OOW FOCUS Tagged With: IMO, PCASP, piracy, PMSC, Safety & Quality, security

International Maritime Organization Main Instruments

May 23, 2012 by Officer of the Watch 2 Comments

One of the main aims of IMO is to ensure co-operation among maritime governments of the world. It also uses a number of instruments to implement and maintain the highest standards in areas of maritime safety, prevention of marine pollution, and shipping navigation and trade.

In this article, we will learn about 5 important instruments which IMO uses to ensure smooth operations at the sea, backed by highest standards of maritime safety.

The 5 important instruments of IMO are: