At a meeting of the EU-funded SAFEMED IV project in Jordan, the IMO-administered pollution emergency response centre in the Mediterranean (REMPEC) has agreed to coordinate its 2019 technical assistance activities with the European Maritime Safety Agency (EMSA), to achieve a more sustainable shipping in the region.
Following presentations by project beneficiaries highlighting their technical assistance needs, EMSA agreed on project activities until the end of 2019. REMPEC will coordinate its own activities in the Mediterranean with EMSA’s actions – on port reception facilities, ship emissions and national ballast water management strategies, among others.
The SAFEMED project, managed by EMSA, provides technical assistance to nine southern and eastern Mediterranean countries and territories, including Algeria, Egypt, Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, Libya, Morocco, Tunisia, and Palestine. It is aimed at enhancing flag and port State capacities, the human element in shipping, ship and port security and marine environment protection in the Mediterranean.
REMPEC is involved in a number of SAFEMED IV activities – particularly those which relate to marine environment protection. This involvement complements REMPEC’s own work on helping states to ratify and implement of IMO’s environmental conventions in the Mediterranean – including regulations on air pollution control and energy efficiency, BWM and treaties on oil spill response and cooperation.
