Update from the International Maritime Organization
It’s been a busy first half of the year for Maritime NZ’s International team. Now that International Maritime Organization (IMO) meetings have begun to wind down for the Northern Hemisphere summer, we’re assessing the impact of the new work agreed to by IMO committees. This is important so we can prioritise where best to put our resources for the coming year.
To help us along we will, for the first time, have the IMO Secretary-General visit New Zealand in August. This will be an opportunity to hear directly the IMO’s priorities while also showcasing our maritime sector and region.
In June the key IMO Committee meetings were the Technical Cooperation Committee (TCC 75) and Maritime Safety Committee (MSC 110).
TCC 75 was well-attended with delegations from across the Pacific. A major focus for us was to advocate for the prompt establishment of a Regional Presence Office in Fiji and for the Secretariat to continue in its efforts to deliver an enhanced and responsive IMO approach to the Pacific region. Working with other Pacific delegates we were able to deliver clear and coherent messaging to the Committee and Secretariat, a great example of how we align and coordinate with regional partners on the multilateral stage.
MSC is always a significant meeting at the IMO, and the 110th meeting was no exception. Highlights for New Zealand included:
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the endorsement of the alternative road map for the comprehensive review of 1978 STCW Convention and Code and confirmation of a technical officer position to specifically support this work
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agreement for a comprehensive review of the Casualty Investigation Code
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consideration of issues for the comprehensive review of the guidelines on the implementation of the International Safety Management (ISM) Code, by administrations and companies
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linking the ISM Code issues (fatigue, seafarers’ hours of work and hours of rest) to the comprehensive review of STCW and recent work by the ILO.
An issue that has been bubbling away since the SDC Sub-Committee meeting in January is differing interpretations of SOLAS regulation 11-2/13.4, escape from spaces below the bulkhead deck. After much discussion, MSC 110 agreed on a two phased solution. Phase 1 saw the Committee issue a circular, [1] indicating that the port state control officer should, in principle, accept the design arrangement approved by the Flag State. Phase 2 is a new work output that includes possible amendment to SOLAS.
The safe transition of shipping into low emission fuels and novel technologies continues to be the focus of many discussions. At MSC 110 the significant developments included:
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agreement to work on a review of the 1981 Code of Safety for Nuclear Merchant Ships in response to renewed interest in the possible role of nuclear energy in the global merchant fleet. We will monitor the progress of this work noting New Zealand’s longstanding prohibition on nuclear powered vessels in New Zealand waters
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agreement to work on a solution to the emerging impracticality of applying the “one ship, one code” policy in relation to the application of the IGF (gases for fuels) or IGC (liquefied gases as cargo) codes as ships move to alternative fuels
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Maritime Autonomous Surface Ships (MASS) non-mandatory code has progressed to a point where we expect the code to be finalised in 2026 and enter into an experience building phase (EBP). MASS technologies are becoming increasingly applied to shipping and the EBP will be an important phase for New Zealand to be able to take a proactive approach to the safe use of these technologies.
Finally, the Secretary-General also noted that progress has been made towards the Cape Town Agreement – with a further 665 vessels needed to meet the threshold for entry into force.