CURRENT AWARENESS BULLETIN - IMO

Lifeboat release reviewed - By Steve Matthews "The International Maritime Organization‘s
subcommittee on ship design and equipment has agreed new draft guidelines on release mechanisms for
lifeboats in an effort to reduce incidents where lifeboats are released accidentally, particularly during drills
and inspections. The Guidelines for Evaluation and Replacement of Lifeboat On-load Release
Mechanisms are expected to be approved by the IMO Maritime Safety Committee meeting in May. The
sub-committee also agreed draft amendments to the revised recommendation on the testing of life-saving
appliances, which concern test procedures for lifeboat hooks. Lifeboat-release mechanisms that do not
comply must be replaced by the ship‘s next scheduled drydocking following its entry into force. In the
meantime the DE subcommittee strongly urged maritime administrations and shipowners to use the
guidelines to evaluate existing lifeboat on-load release mechanisms as soon as possible, before the new
rules come into force." LLOYD‘S LIST, 9 March 2010, p 4
IMO sub-commitee approves draft lifeboat guidelines "Safer lifeboat release systems could become
mandatory by 2012 after new guidelines are accepted. The 53rd session of the IMO‘s sub-committee on
Ship Design and Equipment (DE 53) has approved draft guidelines intended to ensure that ship-owners
replace existing lifeboat release mechanisms with new versions that comply with stricter safety standards.
The draft Guidelines for evaluation and replacement of lifeboat on-load release mechanisms will now be
submitted to the next meeting of the Maritime Safety Committee, which will happen in May (MSC 87).
They are part of a package of amendments that will be considered for MSC adoption, which also includes
changes to the International Life Saving Appliances Code (LSA) and a draft amendment to the
International Convention of Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS) chapter III: Lifesaving appliances." FAIRPLAY,
11 March 2010, p 25
IMO calls for early talks with Brussels climate chief - By Justin Stares "International Maritime
Organization secretary-general Efthimios Mitropoulos has called on the European Union climate action
commissioner to visit the IMO headquarters in London before this month‘s key meeting on shipping‘s
greenhouse gas emissions. On the sidelines of a rare appearance in Brussels, Mr Mitropoulos invited
commissioner Connie Hedegaard to the IMO to explain its decision-making process ahead of the Marine
Environment Protection Committee meeting, which begins on March 22. ―I want her to come to come to
the IMO before, instead of talking about it afterwards,‖ Mr Mitropoulos told Lloyd‘s List. Ms Hedegaard,
who took on the newly created role earlier this year, has urged the IMO to speed up its work on carbon
dioxide reduction." LLOYD‘S LIST, 12 March 2010, p 3
Leading flag state withholds IMO fees - By David Osler "At least one of the world‘s largest flag states
has deliberately missed the January deadline to hand over its dues for International Maritime Organization
membership, in an act of conscious protest against this year‘s 14.9% jump in fees. A number of other
leading members are understood to have joined the rebellion. The London-headquartered UN agency
yesterday refused to reveal which countries have failed to pay their share of its 2010 upkeep costs, stating
that such information was not available to the public. A representative of a major flag, speaking on
condition of anonymity, confirmed that it had not yet paid, and had not decided when it would. ―A lot of
countries have found that a 14.9% rise is not something they can readily accept, and you have to do what
you can to mitigate the effect of this huge increase. One way of doing this is to delay payment for a while,
because the money is earning interest in the bank,‖ he said." LLOYD‘S LIST, 16 March 2010, p 1
Letter to the Editor: No rebellion among IMO members - By Andrew Winbow "Sir, We were
somewhat surprised by the front page article in Lloyd‘s List (Leading flag state withholds IMO fees, March
16) about the payment of International Maritime Organization budget contributions by member states. I
should like to assure your readers categorically that IMO currently has neither cash flow nor indeed any
other financial problem. It is certainly not unusual for members to make their contributions at different
times during the year, due to the vagaries of fiscal years in their respective countries, nor for major
contributors to pay in instalments. The IMO‘s track record for receiving payments from members is one of
the best in the UN system and averaged 99% over the last five years. IMO‘s work programme and budget
are not, as the article suggests, decided by the secretariat but by the member states themselves. For the
current 2010-2011 biennium both, as usual, (including the budget increase) were unanimously adopted by
the assembly. As I am sure you will agree, this falls some way short of the ―rebellion‖ to which you
allude." LLOYD‘S LIST, 17 March 2010, p 4
Letter to the Editor: IMO‟s accounts transparent and open to scrutiny - By Andrew Winbow "Sir,
We read with interest your editorial (‗IMO should open up‘, March 17) and welcome your positive
comments about the International Maritime Organization‘s cost-effectiveness and your support for the
organisation, and for the timely payment of members‘ assessments. However, we consider that the
editorial leaves your readership with the impression that, unlike other public bodies, the IMO does not
provide its stakeholders with a full set of audited accounts each year. I wish to elaborate on this. In
accordance with our financial regulations and rules, full audited accounts are presented to our council
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