The key task of the 28th Port State Control Committee Meeting (Tokyo MoU) attended by representatives of all member authorities in the Asia-Pacific region is the cooperation of efforts, standardization of norms and regulations and overall harmonization of the industry’s work, IMO Secretary-General Kitack Lim was quoted as saying during Committee meeting on 18 September in Vladivostok.
Commenting on impression of his first visit to Russia Mr Kitack Lim said: “There are two priorities of my visit to Russia. First of all, it is a meeting with Transport Minister Maxim Sokolov in Moscow which was very successful and fruitful. We have discussed dozens of issues like global warming, fuel standards, shipping regulations and other topics related to cooperation between IMO and Russia. I have felt mutual understanding and I see a great potential of our interaction. Besides, I was lucky to see Vladivostok, visit training ship Nadezhda and talk to cadets. I should emphasize that the Russian system of training seafarers has always been highly esteemed worldwide. This meeting with the young people was yet another confirmation for me”.
This was the first visit of Mr Kitack Lim to the Russian Federation since he was elected IMO Secretary-General in 2015.
According to IMO Secretary-General, Port State Control in the Asia-Pacific region is a deliberate focus of the Tokyo MoU Committee. On the one hand, it is a region of intensive shipping industry development, on the other hand, the role of port authorities is growing when it comes to control of compliance with all conventions to ensure safe navigation.
“The key task of today’s meeting attended by representatives of all member authorities in the Asia-Pacific region is the cooperation of efforts, standardization of norms and regulations and overall harmonization of the industry’s work. I think that close cooperation will ensure more efficient development,” said Mr Kitack Lim.
He also emphasized that port industry of the Far East is a special subject he would like to clarify during the visit.
“Vast waterside, availability of port facilities and cargo base, neighboring to APR countries’ economies as well as new thoroughfares as the Northern Sea Route – all this ensures the enormous potential for the territory development. First of all, it is about the ports of Vladivostok and Vostochny”, IMO Secretary-General said.
Mr Kitack Lim added that his trip agenda also includes a visit to Vostochny Port, Russia’s largest coal terminal, to evaluate the capabilities and the level of the port infrastructure.
Mr Lim has also met with top officials of the Transport Ministry. The participants of the meeting brought up issues of administrative pressure on ship crews, the problem of enormous ship documentation and its alternative – introduction of electronic workflow. The parties expressed their hope for further fruitful cooperation in favour of the global maritime industry.
