Tag: maritime law

IMO International Maritime Law Institute - introduction video

IMO Press Release IMO Secretary-General Koji Sekimizu has welcomed the signature by 22 States of the Code of Conduct concerning the prevention of piracy, armed robbery against ships and illicit maritime activity in West and Central Africa.The Code was adopted formally by the Heads of State meeting in Yaoundé, Cameroon, on Tuesday (25 June), attended by 13 Heads of State from West and Central African countries.The Code was signed in Yaoundé by Ministers of Foreign Affairs or other delegates, bringing it into effect for the 22 signatory States: Angola, Benin, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Chad, the Congo, Cote d'Ivoire, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Equatorial Guinea, Liberia, Mali, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Sao Tome and Principe and Togo."I am fully committed to assisting western and central African countries to establishing a workable, regional mechanism of co-operation for enhanced maritime security.Maritime development is an essential component of African development and maritime zone security is fundamentally important," Mr Sekimizu said, noting that the Code incorporates many elements of the successful Djibouti Code of Conduct, which has been signed by 20 States in the western Indian Ocean and Gulf of Aden area, and the existing Memorandum of ...

European lawmakers tighten rules on ship-breaking industry

Hopes Dim for US Ratification of Global Maritime Treaty

Can the Obama administration succeed where its predecessors failed on the Law of the Sea treaty? Few modern treaties have generated more domestic controversy for less reason than the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea. By codifying generous rights and freedoms of navigation throughout the world's oceans, the treaty promotes global trade, economic prosperity, and naval mobility. It is a commonsense guide to 71 percent of the Earth's surface, and for that reason it has been accepted by 161 nations, including Russia, China, France, and the United Kingdom. But not the United StatesSince the convention took effect in 1994, every U.S. president and Chief of Naval Operations has supported its ratification. In 2004 the Senate Foreign Relations Committee endorsed the Convention by a vote of 19 to 0; and in 2007, it approved the treaty by a vote of 17 to 4. But, because of staunch opposition from a handful of conservatives worried about what they say are threats to America's sovereignty, the treaty has never come up for a vote before the full U. S. Senate.Now, the Obama administration is trying to change that. On May 9, Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta and Chairman of the ...

Senate President Juan Ponce-Enrile said The Philippines should consult government agencies and maritime law experts to bolster its claim over the disputed Scarborough Shoal, Senate President Juan Ponce-Enrile said during a Senate hearing Friday."The Philippines should be in unanimity when it argues its case before the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea (ITLOS)," Enrile said.He said all the concerned government agencies should gather their heads to prepare a paper which will be submitted to the Senate's Foreign Relations Committee for further study."We have to have a guide in dealing with this problem," Enrile said.Enrile also suggested that the Department of Foreign Affairs and the Department of Justice should talk to lawyer Estelito Mendoza for better understanding of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).Mendoza is the only living member of the team created by the late President Ferdinand Marcos that participated in the UNCLOS deliberation."All of us must have a better understanding of this issue before we start talking," Enrile said.Enrile pointed that the country has a good case in claiming its right over Scarborough Shoal as well as the Reed Bank.He explained that China's nearest island to the disputed shoal is Hainan which ...

UK to host international conference on Somalia next month The British government should consider bringing Somali pirates to Britain for trial, lawmakers said on Thursday, accusing the government of not doing enough to tackle a problem that cost $135 million in ransoms last year alone.Parliament's Foreign Affairs Committee also called on the government -- which recently announced it will permit British merchant ships sailing off Somalia to carry armed guards -- to state clearly when these guards may legally open fire."We conclude that for too long there has been a noticeable gap between the (British) government's rhetoric and its action," the influential committee said in a report on Somali piracy.Britain will host an international conference on Feb. 23 to try to agree on measures to tackle instability and piracy in the east African country, described by Prime Minister David Cameron as a "failed state that directly threatens British interests."Pirates operating from the Somali coast have raked in hundreds of millions of dollars in ransoms from hijacking ships and currently hold up to 10 ships and 200 hostages .The lawmakers said that despite nine U.N. Security Council resolutions and three multinational naval operations, counter-piracy policy had had limited impact."The number of ...

Inadequacy of our piracy laws necessitates additional legislative measures The Democratic Independent Workers' Association (DIWA) party-list representative is asking the House committee on overseas workers affairs to look into the recent sea piracy incidents involving Filipino seafarers.In House Resolution 1474, filed last week by DIWA party-list Rep. Emmeline Aglipay, the "inquiry in aid of legislation" would pave the way to ensure that all Filipino seamen are "accorded the equal protection of the law.""The inadequacy of our piracy laws necessitates additional legislative measures to make them more all-encompassing, so as not to prejudice other Filipino seafarers who are likewise prone to pirate attacks," she said.In particular, Aglipay noted that the government should provide "double compensation and benefits" to any victims of sea piracy. Under the present rules, only victims of hijacking in "high risk" zones are given double compensation, while those who become victims in other areas are left with no recourse."The Philippine government must take an aggressive role in addressing the plight of our Filipino seafarers who will continue... becoming victims of these illegal activities," Aglipay said, noting that the seamen have greatly boosted the Philippine economy through their remittances.There are over 300,000 Filipino seafarers, comprising around 30 percent of ...

Interest rate subsidies and other financial measures Russia will prepare a law to support shipbuilding industry in Far East by next week, Vice Prime Minister Sergey Ivanov said Sunday while inspecting the construction of maritime terminal on Kunashir Island.According to the RIA Novosti report, the document will include a number of measures aimed at economical support of the sector, among them interest rate subsidies and other financial measures.Besides, the law will make provisions for measures aimed at ship owner's advantages in building ships at domestic shipyards.Meanwhile, Ivanov also said geothermal energy development is necessary for the region."We need to develop geothermal stations. New stations have to be built here," Invanov said at a conference on the islands on "Social and Economic Development of the Kuril Islands 2007-2015" under Russia's Federal Target Program.Ivanov noted that the main purpose of his visit to the Islands is to check the progress on the federal target program for Russia's Far East, with an aim to tackle three major problems of the region -- transport infrastructure, energy and social services.The financing for the program will amount to 15 billion rubles (0.54 billion U.S. dollars) till 2015, which will not be affected despite the financial crisis.Ivanov ...