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Home » All News » Marine Policy & Regulatory Affairs
The International Convention on Standards of Training, Certification and Watchkeeping for Seafarers (STCW), 1978, as amended, is an international agreement which sets the standards of competence for seafarers internationally. The 1978 STCW Convention entered into force on 28 April 1984 and since then several revisions have taken place, with the last adopted in 2018. The International Maritime Organization (IMO) has now started work on the long-awaited comprehensive review of both the Convention and Code. IMCA attended the meeting of the IMO’s Sub-Committee on Human Element, Training and Watchkeeping (HTW) in February 2024 and participated in the Working Group which was
The International Maritime Organization (IMO) is looking to recognise exceptional acts of bravery with a call for nominations for the IMO Honours for Exceptional Bravery at Sea 2024. Established by the IMO to provide international recognition for those who have risked their own life to perform acts of exceptional bravery or displayed outstanding courage to save life at sea or mitigate damage to the marine environment, previous winners have also demonstrated extraordinary seamanship skills in often challenging conditions. The honours – which cover the period from 1 March 2023 to 29 February 2024 – offer three categories of recognition –
Monday 19 February 2024 marks the three-month anniversary since the Houthis seized the Galaxy Leader and its 25 seafarers in the Red Sea. The vessel, a roll-on/roll-off vehicle carrier, was seized on the 19 November 2023. IMCA has joined the maritime industry to express concern for the seafarers who have been held hostage, and call on the Houthis to release the crew of the Galaxy Leader, co-signing an industry statement calling for their release: “The 25 seafarers who make up the crew of the Galaxy Leader are innocent victims of the ongoing aggression against world shipping, and their plight is
As previously shared in September 2023, the IMO’s Marine Environment Protection Committee (MEPC) approved Revised Guidelines for the Reduction of Underwater Radiated Noise from Shipping to Address Adverse Impacts on Marine Life (MEPC.1/Circ.906). Following on from this, the IMO Sub-Committee on Ship Design and Construction has considered its next steps where it was agreed that the work in this area will now be entitled ‘Experience Building Phase for the Reduction of Underwater Radiated Noise’ with a target completion year of 2026. At the 10th meeting of the IMO Sub-Committee Ship Design and Construction (SDC 10), attended by IMCA, the following views were expressed: While
We report from the 10th meeting of the IMO Sub-Committee on Ship Design and Construction (SDC 10), attended by IMCA, where some of the key discussions focused on the Red Sea, developments on the IP Code, and on Underwater Radiated Noise. Red Sea There was general condemnation of the attacks by Houthi rebels on commercial ships in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden. Concern was expressed for the safety of ships and their crew. The plight of those on board the MV Galaxy Leader, whose crew is still being held hostage was highlighted with several Flag States calling
On Wednesday 6 December we welcomed representatives from contractors, developers, insurance, legal firms, and stakeholder groups at the Royal Horseguards Hotel in London to explore solutions to current challenges in offshore wind contracting. Following the launch of IMCA’s first standard T&I contract for offshore wind, Navigating Offshore Wind Contracts featured a range of prominent industry speakers, a passionate panel discussion, and an engaged audience Q&A. Commenting on the Seminar, David Bloom, Director of client engagement – Europe & Africa, at IMCA said: “There were plenty of takeaways for the sector, including a focus from many in the room on the
The International Convention for the Control and Management of Ships’ Ballast Water and Sediments, 2004 (the BWM Convention) is intended to prevent the spread of harmful aquatic organisms from one region to another and damage to the marine environment from ballast water discharge, by minimising the uptake and subsequent discharge of sediments and organisms. The Convention entered into force globally on 8 September 2017 and requires signatory Flag States to ensure that ships flagged by them comply with standards and procedures for the management and control of ships’ ballast water and sediments by requiring all ships to implement a Ballast Water Management Plan,
Underwater radiated noise (URN) from ships has been proven to have a damaging effect on marine wildlife and even marine plants of many types. Factors which have been identified as contributing to URN, include ship resistance and propulsion together with ship machinery systems and operational approaches. For several years the IMO has been working on guidelines to mitigate the effects of URN and in 2014 it approved its first set of guidelines on underwater noise (MEPC.1/Circ.833). Since those guidelines were approved there has been a doubling of noise levels in the ocean. IMCA Contact Margaret Fitzgerald Head of Legal &
The IMO’s Marine Environment Protection Committee (MEPC 80) have agreed to a revised GHG Strategy on the reduction of GHG emissions from ships with a commitment to reach net zero GHG emissions by or around 2050. Margaret Fitzgerald, representing IMCA, attended the week-long Committee meeting as well as the 15th session of the Intersessional Working Group on GHG the previous week and was joined on Thursday by Iain Grainger, IMCA’s CEO, who witnessed the historic agreement being reached. IMO’s work on GHG emissions reduction and future fuels is being closely monitored by IMCA’s Marine Policy & Regulatory Affairs (MPRA) Committee
A landmark moment at the International Maritime Organization (IMO) as conditions for the entry into force of the Hong Kong International Convention for the Safe and Environmentally Sound Recycling of Ships (the ‘Hong Kong Convention’) have been met which ensure new approaches on ship recycling. The Hong Kong Convention was adopted at a diplomatic conference, attended by delegates from 63 countries, held in Hong Kong, China, from 11 to 15 May 2009, but it has taken 14 years for it to be ratified, the necessary legal process to trigger entry into force. With the ratification of the Convention by Bangladesh
At 0001 UTC on 1 January 2023 the Indian Ocean High Risk Area (HRA) for piracy will be removed.The removal of the HRA reflects a significantly improved piracy situation in the region, but voyage preparation, threat and risk assessment is essential when following Best Management Practice 5 (BMP5).22 August 2022. London, UK. After more than a decade of effective threat-reducing counter-piracy operations the shipping industry has removed the ‘Indian Ocean High Risk Area’ (HRA).Notification of the removal of the HRA from 0001 UTC on 1 January 2023 by industry bodies was forwarded in a submission today, 22 August, to the
The International Marine Contractors Association (IMCA) celebrates the United Nations (UN) International Anti-Corruption Day on 9 December 2021. The campaign entitled “your right, your role, say no to corruption” emphasises the important role we all have to play in preventing and tackling corruption. The campaign also places the onus on Governments to implement measures to protect those that speak up from retaliation. IMCA Contact Allen Leatt Chief Executive Contact Error: Contact form not found. Allen Leatt, IMCA’s Chief Executive, explained:“International Anti-Corruption Day is an ideal opportunity for IMCA Members to evaluate the effectiveness of their systems, processes, and procedures in
IMCA Marine Members – does your company operate vessels of 5,000 gross tonnage and above?IMCA encourages you to share your vessel fuel consumption data to avoid your vessels being grouped as general cargo vessels Please act and share your fuel consumption data with us by completing the relevant spreadsheets – 1 per vessel – to enable us to calculate data to share with the IMO.All the background details and information you need are available on our website and explained in a video message. You will also find supporting notes, slides, information note to help you complete this exercise plus access
IMCA’s Margaret Fitzgerald, Head of Marine Policy & Regulatory Affairs, explains the background, details and process surrounding fuel consumption data collection and how members can support this activity and influence the IMO’s decision on carbon intensity indicator for the offshore and marine contracting sector.Call to action!IMCA Marine Members – does your company operate vessels of 5,000 gross tonnage and above? Please act and share your fuel consumption data with us by completing the relevant spreadsheets – 1 per vessel – to enable us to calculate data to share with the IMO.You will find all the information you need on this
As a result of a submission by the International Marine Contractors Association (IMCA) to the International Maritime Organization’s (IMO) Marine Environment Protection Committee (MEPC 76/5/3) in June 2021, the MEPC has granted IMCA authority to: 1 Collect fuel consumption data from IMCA members’ offshore vessels which fall within the scope of the mandatory requirement under Regulation 22A of MARPOL*, Annex VI and applies to all vessels of 5,000 gross tonnage and above. 2 Use this data to calculate the two proxies IMCA proposed in its submission to MEPC 74 (MEPC 74/6), and 3 Submit the calculations to IMO on behalf of its
Please note that this consultation period is now closed – thank you for your support. Environmental sustainability and the energy transition are fundamental to long-term value creation for the offshore marine contracting industry. In recognition of this, and to help improve environmental performance, a dedicated workgroup was formed under the auspices of the Environmental Sustainability Committee, with oversight of the IMCA Board, to develop a Code of Practice on Environmental Sustainability. For the past four months, the workgroup consisting of international contractors, global contractors and contractors have held 6 workgroup, 20 subgroup meetings and multiple bilateral meetings and worked together
Call to Action for Marine Members!IMCA is collecting fuel consumption data from its members, to enable us to effectively lobby IMO Member States for a carbon intensity indicator (CII) which works for the offshore sector. The current CII being used by IMO is based on cargo ships which is not a suitable metric for assessing the carbon intensity of the offshore sector.Support IMCA’s submission by submitting your fuel consumption data through a process managed by the Marine Policy & Regulatory Affairs Committee.You can submit data for the latest three years 2021, 2020 and 2019. Download the forms below, complete one for each
The International Marine Contractors Association’s (IMCA) Dynamic Positioning (DP) Practitioner Accreditation Scheme launched on 1 May 2019, has received close to 1000 enquiries in its first year. The Accreditation Scheme is the output of a cross industry workgroup consisting of DP vessel owners/operators, training providers, DP consultants, major energy companies and relevant organisations. This workgroup was tasked by IMCA’s Marine Division Management Committee in 2018 to devise a scheme to improve consistency and conduct of DP Trials. Additionally, the scheme set an industry recognised level of knowledge for DP Practitioners responsible for developing, witnessing and reporting of DP Trials in
IMCA is playing a key role in an industry group lobbying the IMO to support a recommendation for Governments and national authorities to facilitate the movement of offshore energy sector personnel during the COVID-19 pandemic. An industry group comprising IADC, IAGC, IMCA, IOGP and ISOA, having gained initial approval from IMO, has now formally written to the IMO Secretary-General to gain recognition of offshore energy sector personnel as key workers alongside seafarers and marine personnel. If approved, the IMO Recommendation should facilitate easier movement during mobilisation and demobilisation for crew changes. Read the Industry Group Letter here Read the IMO
IMO Secretary-General Kitack Lim has asked the United Nations system agencies to support IMO in its request to governments to declare seafarers, port personnel and other crucial maritime workers as key personnel. Mr. Lim made the plea during a virtual meeting (1 April) with other UN chiefs and the UN Secretary-General. The meeting addressed the impact of COVID-19 on, among other things, disruption and restrictions to travel, trade flows, global logistics, supply of food, pharmaceuticals and medical equipment. During the meeting, Mr Lim highlighted the importance of welfare and well-being of maritime personnel and particularly seafarers and the significance of crew changes
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