The 98th session of the Maritime Safety Committee (MSC) was held at the headquarters of the International Maritime Organization (IMO) in London from 7 to 16 June, 2017.

At the opening session Mr. Kitack Lim, IMO Secretary General congratulated the session participants, expressed his condolences and concern over the recent terrorist attacks in the world including London and Iran as well as identified the issues that need to be addressed at the 98th session of MSC.

The session adopted SOLAS Convention amendments to Chapter II on stability, lifeboats, watertight doors on passenger ships, fire safety of cargo spaces and vessels, etc. Certain amendments were approved with the International Maritime Solid Bulk Cargoes Code (IMSBC Code), the International Code of Safety for High-Speed Craft (HSC Code), the International Life-Saving Appliance Code (LSA Code), the Polar Code, Code for the Construction and Equipment of Mobile Offshore Drilling Units (MODU Code) and others.

Traditionally, the issues related to anti-piracy campaign and other illegal actions directed against the safety of international shipping brought on a lively discussion. In particular, the delegations’ positions on the creation of floating arsenals of weapons were diametrically opposed. It was cautioned that such measures were contrary to the provisions of the the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea,1982 (UNCLOS). It was decided to consult with the UN Secretary-General in this matter.

There were no indifferent to the discussion of the illegal migration problems, which have been recently the main concern for the Mediterranean states. According to the data provided, more than 180 000 people illegally arrived at the Mediterranean States and about 5000 people died crossing the Mediterranean Sea.

Arguably, the issues concerning the future of international navigation were of great interest in the work of the 98th session. Particularly, the use of highly automated and autonomous marine vessels, where the number of crew members is minimized or it is completely absent. The greatest problematic issues in this regard were expressed regarding the technology of transportation and the legal support for the operation of such vessels. It was decided to designate that issue as the theme of highest priority for the next two years. Upon completion of the plenary session, the delegation of Denmark made an interesting presentation on this subject.

The issue of ship protection was also one of the priorities at the session. Considering the great danger for modern vessels in case of unauthorized interference in global and ship systems that are directly related to the safety of ships and crews, Circular letter on Maritime Cyber Security was adopted as well as a working group to study that issue was established.

The Ukrainian delegation provided information on closure of seaports in the temporarily occupied territory of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol (Doc. MSC 98 / INF.9) in the context of securing the navigation safety and search and rescue in the Black Sea. The following delegations of Malta, France, Lithuania, the Netherlands, UK, Germany, Ireland, Australia, Luxembourg, Italy, Sweden, Croatia, the USA, Iceland, of Denmark, Latvia, Finland and Norway expressed support for Ukraine.

N.M. Galibarenko, Chairman of the Ukrainian delegation, the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Ukraine to the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland presented the Secretary General of IMO ratification instruments concerning Ukraine’s accession to the International Convention on the Control of Harmful Anti-fouling Systems in Ships (AFS Convention) and the International Convention on Salvage (SALVAGE).

The representatives of National University “Odessa Maritime Academy” composed by O.M. Shemyakin, First Vice-Rector of NU «OMA» as a part of official Ukrainian delegation and D.S. Zhukov, a senior lecturer of the Ship Control Department, as a part of the delegation of the International Association of Marine Universities (IAMU) participated in the work of the 98th session of the Maritime Safety Committee.