Bahamas seeking re-election to IMO Council

CMC

Friday, March 11, 2011

NASSAU, Bahamas (CMC) — The Bahamas is seeking re-election to the International Maritime Organisation Council under Category 'C', having ratified the legal framework developed by the IMO and signed all of its major international Conventions, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has announced.

It said The Bahamas is to state its position at the 27th Regular Session of the Assembly of the International Maritime Organisation to be held in London from November 21 this year.

Elections for the 40 members of the Council will be held during this assembly.

"The Bahamas' tenure on the IMO Council has been characterised by an assiduous, constructive, forward-looking ethic and spirit of cooperation, aimed at fostering the organisation's goals of maintaining the highest standard of maritime safety, efficiency of navigation and protection of the maritime environment.

"If honoured with the privilege of re-election, The Bahamas will continue to do the same," the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said.

The Bahamas is the fourth largest ship registry in the world; its annual assesses contribution is in excess of £1,000,000, (US$1.6 million) making it one of the largest contributors to that UN organisation.

The country has over 1,600 ships, consisting of 55 million gross tons on its shipping register. This tonnage includes 24 per cent tanker, 23 per cent container and cargo, 14 per cent bulk carrier and 13 per cent roll-on, roll-off and passenger vessels including the world's largest cruise liner, the Royal Caribbean's Oasis of the Seas.

The Bahamas has served on the Council from 1991 to 1995 and from 1999 to 2011, and has decided to seek re election to the Council.

The Council membership is made up of three groups of states, designated A, B and C. Category C is open to 20 states which have special interests in maritime transport or navigation, and whose election to the Council will ensure the representation of all major geographic areas of the world.

"The Bahamas has also ratified and respects the legal framework developed by the IMO, having acceded to all of its major international Conventions," the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said.

These include: Safety of Life at Sea, Prevention of Pollution from Ships and most recently acceded to the International Convention on the Control of Harmful Anti-fouling Systems on Ships, 2001 and the International Convention on Civil Liability for Bunker Oil Pollution Damage, 2001.

"The Bahamas was among the first to accede to the International Labour Organisation's (ILO) Maritime Labour Convention 2006, demonstrating once again commitment to the indispensable human resources of ships' crews," the ministry said, noting that the country has also worked with Caribbean neighbours in a number of areas, relating to flag, port and coastal state responsibilities.

The Bahamas is a member of the Caribbean Memorandum of Understanding on Port State Control, and holds the position of chairmanship of the MOU Technical Committee, which has developed safety standards for small ships trading in the Caribbean region.