The International Chamber of Shipping (ICS) and the Comité Maritime International (CMI) have released an updated brochure about the importance of governments ratifying international maritime conventions, especially those adopted by the UN IMO.
The aim of the brochure ‘Promoting Maritime Treaty Ratification’ is to encourage more widespread ratification of some key maritime instruments, including a number of important instruments which have not yet received adequate ratifications from governments to enter into force globally.
The new campaign focuses on three key IMO instruments:
- The Hong Kong Convention on ship recycling,
- The 2003 Protocol to the 1992 Civil Liability and Fund Conventions concerning oil spill compensation,
- The 2010 Protocol to the HNS (liability) Convention.
Esben Poulsson, ICS Chairman, is optimistic about ratification of these crucial IMO instruments, despite their slow pace.
He continued saying that: “In particular, the Hong Kong Convention on ship recycling has been ratified by the world’s largest flag State, Panama, having previously been ratified by Belgium, Denmark, France and Norway. Turkey, a major ship recycling nation, is also expected to ratify soon. But other IMO Member States now need to build on this momentum or else be faced with the confusion likely to be caused by unilateral or regional regulation.”
Furthermore the new brochure mentions numerous conventions that require wider ratification, such as the IMO Ballast Water Management Convention, which was initiated in September, and the ILO (Revised) Seafarers’ Identity Documents Convention and promotes instruments that address international liabilities and compulsory insurance cover for ships.
Concluding, ICS and CMI highlight their belief that the shipping industry is a global industry that relies on global regulatory frameworks to operate efficiently.
Otherwise, a plethora of regional or unilateral regulations can cause chaos within the international shipping and disrupt the smooth flow of global trade.
You can read more about the updated brochure by clicking the PDF below
