Maritime News

IMO Secretary General reshuffles IMO Secretariat

After taking office last 1 January 2012, the IMO Secretary-General Mr. Koji Sekimizu announced a number of changes in the structure of the IMO Secretariat.

“The biggest challenge in the coming years, in terms of management of the Organization, is how to improve the delivery mechanism in the Secretariat to address the demanding issues we face, such as anti-piracy measures, the introduction of the mandatory Member State-Audit Scheme and our ever-increasing workload. To address this will require effective human resource deployment and redeployment, the creation of new ways of handling our work and improvements to our working methods. It will also require close cooperation between the Secretariat and Member governments”, said Mr. Sekimizu. 

Review of the Seamen’s Act

The Norwegian Government has appointed a broadly composed commission to conduct a full revision of the Seamen’s Act and to draft a new act.

The Norwegian Maritime Officer’s Association is represented on the commission by attorney at law Birger Mordt and by the Director of the Association, Capt. Hans Sande.

The commission is due to present its proposal by 30 October 2012 at the latest.

States to be Members of the IMO Council 

The Assembly of the International Maritime Organization has elected the following States to be Members of its Council for the 2012-2013 biennium:

Category (a) 10 States with the largest interest in providing international shipping services:

Category (b) 10 States with the largest interest in international seaborne trade:

Category (c) 20 States not elected under (a) or (b) above, which have special interests in maritime transport or navigation and whose election to the Council will ensure the representation of all major geographic areas of the world:

Newly Appointed Philippine Ambassador brings up Filipino Seafarers’ issues with Norwegian King 

The issues affecting Filipino seafarers serving aboard Norwegian vessels were among the topics brought up by new Philippine Ambassador to Norway Bayani Mercado with Norway’s King Harald V.

Mercado had a 15-minute solemn audience with the King after presenting his credentials to him in November 2011. The two officials also discussed the King’s student days in Washington DC during World War II, the many Filipino seamen on board Norwegian vessels and the role Norway played in training these seamen, the DFA said.

Mercado also thanked the King for the hospitality and opportunities the Norwegian people have extended to more than 15,000 Filipinos working in the country and some 20,000 Filipino seamen.