Speaking at the opening of the IMO’s first meeting of the
year, the Sub-Committee on Fire Protection, IMO Secretary-General Koji
Sekimizu told delegates that it was his vision that halving lives lost
at sea and eradicating pirate attacks, as well as ensuring the release
of all hostages can, and should, be legitimate targets, for the
Organization and for shipping in the years to come.Mr Sekimizu said that the number of lives lost annually at sea has
been over 1,000 for each of the past five years. Despite the difficulty
in obtaining precise and reliable data for such losses, he said that
approximate figures for 2012 included approximately 100 lives lost in
the fishing sector, 400 in domestic operations, and around 500 in other
categories, including international shipping*.An ambitious, but achievable target, he said, would be to aim for a
50 per cent reduction, to no more than 500 lives lost annually, by 2015. He said that the matter could be addressed at the IMO Symposium on
Future Ship Safety in June, and went on to identify a number of
mechanisms that could help the target to be reached, specifically:• implementation of the Torremolinos Protocol through the Cape Town Agreement, to improve fishing vessel safety• IMO’s Technical Cooperation activities in the field of domestic ferry safety• the Secretary-General’s own initiative for an “Accident Zero”
campaign, in conjunction with the International Association of Marine
Aids to Navigation and Lighthouse Authorities (IALA).He added that, in the first instance, IMO should consider
establishing a mechanism for the collection and collation of statistics
on lives lost to enable formal, official figures to be produced.With regard to piracy attacks and hostage taking, Mr Sekimizu said
that 2012 had been an encouraging year, having witnessed a sharp
reduction in successful piracy incidents off the coast of Somalia and in the Indian Ocean. However, 12 ships and 159 people were, at the time of speaking, still in the hands of Somali pirates.He said that complete eradication of piracy off the coast of Somalia
and the release of all hostages would be more ambitious targets, but,
nevertheless, should be the aim. He identified continuous protection by
navies in the Gulf of Aden, consistent application of Best Management
Practices (BMP), and proper handling of armed security guards under
national policies, taking into account discussions at IMO and the
International Organization for Standardization (ISO), as key factors in
achieving the first of these.With regard to the release of hostages, Mr Sekimizu welcomed the
action taken by the Somali authority in Puntland to secure the release
of the crew members of the MV Iceberg. But, he added, that the release
of all hostages as soon as possible should be a clear target and that
more should be done towards this end.He also said he would accelerate capacity building under the Djibouti Code of Conduct. He urged IMO Member Governments that had been active
in providing naval vessels to maintain naval protection forces until the risk of piracy attack had been sufficiently eliminated from the Indian
Ocean and the Gulf of Aden, and to urge shipping industry leaders to
ensure continuous implementation of the BMP.On a wider front, he confirmed his support for the initiatives of the UN and the international community to help Somalis re-establish law and order and revive their own livelihood and economy, and for countries in western Africa to enhance their maritime security and aim for
piracy-free waters in that region, too.
IMO&EU NEWS
08 January 2013 - 21:35
Lives Lost at Sea Halved and Piracy Eradicated Should Be Targets, Says Sekimizu
IMO Secretary-General Koji Sekimizu told delegates that it was his vision that halving lives lost at sea and eradicating pirate attacks.
IMO&EU NEWS
08 January 2013 - 21:35
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