The 108th session of the Maritime Safety Committee of the International Maritime Organization (IMO MSC 108) was held in London from May 15 to 24. The International Association of Maritime Universities was represented at IMO MSC 108 108 by Capt. Dmytro Zhukov, a senior lecturer at the Shiphandling Chair of the National University “Odessa Maritime Academy”.
During the IMO MSC 108, the following issues were considered:
Opening of the session
- Adoption of the agenda; report on credentials
- Decisions of other IMO bodies
- Consideration and adoption of amendments to mandatory instruments
- Development of a goal-based instrument for Maritime Autonomous Surface Ships (MASS)
- Development of a safety regulatory framework to support the reduction of GHG emissions from ships using new technologies and alternative fuels
- Revision of the Guidelines on Maritime Cyber Risk Management (MSC-FAL.1/Circ.3/Rev.2) and identification of next steps to enhance maritime cybersecurity
- Measures to enhance maritime security
- Piracy and armed robbery against ships
- Unsafe mixed migration by sea
- Domestic ferry safety
- Formal safety assessment
- Navigation, communications and search and rescue (Report of the tenth session of the Sub-Committee)
- Implementation of IMO instruments (Report of the ninth session of the Sub-Committee)
- Carriage of cargoes and containers (Report of the ninth session of the Sub-Committee)
- Ship design and construction (Report of the tenth session of the Sub-Committee)
- Human element, training and watchkeeping (Report of the tenth session of the Sub-Committee)
- Application of the Committee’s method of work
- Work programme
- Any other business
- Consideration of the report of the Committee on its 108th session.
On the first day of the session, IMO Secretary General Arsenio Dominguez delivered a welcome speech. He pointed out that, this year’s World Maritime theme: “Navigating the future: safety first!”, is most closely related to the work of your Committee and the commemoration of the fiftieth anniversary of the SOLAS Convention represents a pledge to uphold the highest standards of safety in every aspect of this Organization’s regulatory work.
The Secretary General also drew attention to the problems of piracy, especially the situation in the Red Sea, the development of requirements for MASS, and others. The full text of the IMO Secretary General’s speech can be viewed at the following link:
https://www.imo.org/en/MediaCentre/SecretaryGeneral/Pages/MSC-108-Opening-remarks.aspx
An interesting event during IMO MSC 108 was the IMO International Day for Women in Maritime.
A number of presentations were also presented during IMO MSC 108:
- The need to establish advanced seafarers’ education and training programs and a global platform for high-tech ships (Republic of Korea)
- Casualty trends and data projects in marine insurance (IUMI)
- Next generation ECDIS: the What, When and Why of S-100 based ECDIS (IHO and CIRM)
- Safety approach and protocols applied in ammonia marine fuel trials in the port of Singapore (Singapore)
- Realizing net zero with nuclear power (WNTI)
- Emerging maritime cyber threats and potential mitigations (Cyber-SHIP Lab (University of Plymouth)
- Introduction to online training material on domestic ferry safety (China)
- Unveiling the depths: Working with the shipping industry to map the ocean for global benefit (The Nippon Foundation/IHO – GEBCO Seabed Project)
“ORCELLE” – solution for wind as main propulsion (European Commission)
