A new IMO video which showcases IMO’s new long-term strategy on mobilising resources for technical cooperation activities was launched on 27 January.
This video which aligns with the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs*), highlights the value and benefits of working with IMO and encourages active communication with potential donors and recipients.
Premier in Jamaica
The video premiered at the first regional Knowledge Partnership Workshop for the Caribbean, held in Kingston, Jamaica from 20 to 24 January.
Successful implementation of international regulations
The workshop aimed to demonstrate how the successful implementation of international regulations can be enhanced through effective sharing of knowledge, skills and experience. The workshop brought together national officials responsible for maritime affairs and official development assistance; as well as officials from international multilateral development banks, IGOs and NGOs. Here participants increased their awareness of maritime issues, learned how to prioritise them in national development plans and, above all, benefitted from multi-way communication, making new connections with maritime and development cooperation counterparts from around the region.
The workshop was organized by IMO in collaboration with the Maritime Authority of Jamaica.
Participating countries and dependent territories or parts represented at the workshop were:
Antigua and Barbuda, Bahamas, Belize, Curaçao, Dominica, Grenada, Guyana, Haiti, Jamaica, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Sint Maarten, Suriname and Trinidad and Tobago.
Participating organizations represented at the workshop were:
Association of Caribbean States, Basel Convention Regional Centre for Training and Technology Transfer for the Caribbean, Commonwealth Secretariat, Inter-American Development Bank, International Association of Marine Aids to Navigation and Lighthouse Authorities, International Hydrographic Organization, Caribbean Development Bank and the United Nations Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean Sub-Regional Headquarters for the Caribbean.
The new IMO video is available here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6DYbP2owoIM&feature=youtu.be
Latest News & Events
A new report from the FAO shows that while most fish stocks remain overexploited, the number of stocks subject to overfishing has decreased for the first time in decades. This was announced from FAO HQ in Rome in mid-December. Readers are invited to see the full report here: http://www.fao.org/documents/card/en/c/cb2429en
After decades of increasing human pressures on the Mediterranean and Black Sea marine ecosystems and fisheries resources, the latest data suggest that a corner is finally being turned on overexploitation of the region's vital fish stocks.
According to a new report on the State of Mediterranean and Black Sea Fisheries (SoMFi 2020), released on 14 December, while 75% of fish stocks remain subject to overfishing, this percentage fell by more than 10% between 2014 and 2018. Exploitation ratios are down by a similar proportion. Taking into account newly assessed stocks, the number of fish stocks with high relative biomass has doubled since the last edition published in 2018.
Crew changes are once more becoming difficult as much of the world locks down again following the emergence of several new and more transmissible variants of Covid-19, crew specialist Danica has warned.
With travel corridors being closed and new travel restrictions imposed, airlines are once again cancelling or reducing flights which poses a problem for crew transiting to vessels. It is understood from Danica that ports too, if they have reopened, are imposing greater restrictions.
Henrik Jensen (pictured), Managing Director of Danica Crewing Services, has warned: ‘I believe we may be heading for a new crew change crisis every bit as bad as last spring. Over the past six months crew changes have been possible in many cases, although they have been costly and complex. However, now we are seeing a range of new restrictions and barriers to crew travel while also facing some serious issues in relation to crew health risk factors. I can foresee this impacting heavily on crew changes for the next few months.’
Danica specialises in crew deployment and has been assisting a range of ship operators in order to achieve crew changes over the past year. As a result, the company is fully aware of the latest rules and restrictions and well-placed to notice how they are impacting crewing.
Jensen explained: ‘In response to the rapid increase in infections around the world, governments are imposing new or additional measures including travel restrictions. Although these measures are understandable in the circumstances, based on scientific evidence, and intended to provide protection for their populations, they also cause operational and logistical problems for crew changes.
