SafeMed II Project Presents Its Activities at the IMO FSI Sub-Committee

The SafeMed Project has supported the participation of nearly 300 officials from the maritime authorities of the SafeMed Beneficiaries  in seminars and workshops on a wide range of subjects, such as the monitoring of Recognized Organizations performing duties on behalf of the authorities, the adoption of international legislation on minimum standards of working conditions for seafarers, and the importance of human element in accidents. 

This was divulged during a presentation about the Project’s activities related to flag State implementation (FSI), delivered by Mr Albert Bergonzo, SafeMed’s Project Officer (Maritime Administration), on the occasion of the recently held 19th session of the IMO  Sub-Committee on FSI.  The presentation was attended by Mr Marten Koopmans, Permanent Representative of the EC to IMO, and by Mr Stefan Micallef, Senior Deputy Director of IMO’s Marine Environment Division. 

Participants were informed about the extensive work carried out by REMPEC, the Mediterranean regional institution implementing the SafeMed II Project. The work consisted in expertise missions in the field, desk studies, regional and national activities to assist the Beneficiaries in effectively implementing the International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships (MARPOL) and to help them volunteer for the IMO Audit Scheme of their administrations (VIMSAS).

Since the beginning of the Project in 2006, FSI has been one of the major activities undertaken to achieve the objective of mitigating the gap in the implementation of international maritime legislation between EU Member States and the MEDA Partners in the Mediterranean basin. The SafeMed II Project financed the participation of representatives of four SafeMed II Beneficiaries as well as the participation of the Director of the Med MoU on PSC Information Centre at FSI 19.

The Project has also allocated twenty-five Masters level scholarships at the IMO International Maritime Law Institute in Malta and the World Maritime University in Malmö, Sweden. These graduates, many of whom have increased responsibilities, now apply their new skills and competences to play an active role in the improvement of the performance of their maritime administrations.

As a result, all Beneficiaries are well aware of the efforts that the IMO and the EU are making to fight sub-standard shipping and that they are an integral part of the international maritime community, and, as such, their full participation is required in this fight. This is particularly true in the semi-enclosed area of the Mediterranean basin. 

Flag State performance is an ongoing process in an ever-changing world. Yet, it is clear that the SafeMed Project Beneficiaries have joined a virtuous circle, one that will bring steady improvement in their maritime standards.