IMO – Professional Mariner

22 Oct

IMO honors Maui fire responders with Bravery at Sea Award

Professional Mariner StaffMaritime NewsIMO, Search and rescue, U.S. Coast Guard

(HONOLULU) — U.S. Coast Guard members and good Samaritans who responded during the Aug. 8, 2023, Maui wildfires received international recognition and awards during a ceremony at the J. Walter Cameron Center in Wailuku, Hawaii, on Friday. During the ceremony, the International Maritime Organization (IMO) presented five Coast Guard responders and four good Samaritans with Honors for Exceptional Bravery At…

21 Oct

IMO reports progress on push for net-zero GHG emissions

Professional Mariner StaffMaritime NewsEnvironment, IMO, shipping

(LONDON) — The International Maritime Organization (IMO) has achieved key progress in negotiations toward a set of binding global regulations on the IMO net-zero framework, aimed at achieving the greenhouse gas (GHG) reduction objectives set out in the 2023 IMO Strategy on Reduction of GHG Emissions from Ships. At the conclusion of the 82nd session of IMO’s Marine Environment Protection…

07 Oct

Canadian Arctic, Norwegian Sea now emission control areas

Professional Mariner StaffMaritime NewsEnvironment, IMO, Regulation

(LONDON) — The International Maritime Organization (IMO) adopted significant amendments to MARPOL Annex VI during the 82nd session of the Marine Environment Protection Committee (MEPC) last week, establishing two new Emission Control Areas (ECAs). The amendments designate the Canadian Arctic and the Norwegian Sea as ECAs for nitrogen oxides (NOx), sulfur oxides (SOx) and particulate matter (PM). The new regulations…

29 Aug

World Maritime Day 2024: Safety first into the future

Professional Mariner StaffMaritime NewsIMO, safety

(LONDON) — World Maritime Day 2024 will be observed Sept. 26 with the theme "Navigating the Future: Safety First!" Several initiatives will be held by the International Maritime Organization (IMO) to commemorate the day, including: • Symposium on Extreme Maritime Weather: The event will focus on "Bridging the Knowledge Gap Toward Safer Shipping" and will take place on Sept. 23-26…

23 Jul

Detention order lifted in Charleston for runaway boxship

Professional Mariner StaffMaritime Newscasualties, IMO, U.S. Coast Guard

(CHARLESTON, S.C.) — The containership MSC Michigan VII was released Monday from the International Maritime Organization detention order that was imposed on June 8 in Charleston after the vessel accelerated uncontrollably while leaving the harbor. The vessel is authorized by the Coast Guard Sector Charleston captain of the port to depart the Port of Charleston under a three-tug escort, two…

02 Jul

Ban on use of heavy fuel oil in effect in Arctic

Professional Mariner StaffMaritime NewsEnvironment, IMO, shipping

(LONDON) — A ban on the use of heavy fuel oil (HFO) in the Arctic went into effect Monday, Bunkerspot reported. It is now illegal for ships to carry HFO as fuel in their tanks in the region, but the measure includes a transitional arrangement that allows ships with protected fuel tanks to use HFO until 2029. The ban was…

05 Feb

New IMO leader addresses Red Sea attacks, emissions

Professional Mariner StaffMaritime NewsIMO, safety, Security, shipping

(LONDON) — Arsenio Dominguez, secretary-general of the International Maritime Organization (IMO), shared the group’s plans and focus areas for the next four years, with the aim of ensuring safer, more secure and environmentally friendly shipping. Speaking at a news conference Thursday at IMO headquarters in London, Dominguez outlined four strategic priorities: IMO’s work to regulate international shipping; its support to…

26 Jun

Day of the Seafarer highlights role in ocean protection

Rich MillerMaritime NewsEnvironment, IMO, Licensing and training

(LONDON) — The urgent need to protect the world's oceans and the habitats within them is, nowadays, well understood. So, too, is the need for a sustainable shipping industry to ensure the essential transportation of goods and commodities across the globe, and of passengers. Hundreds of thousands of seafarers bear witness every day to changes in the marine environment due…

15 Jun

IMO moves ahead on Polar Code, autonomous ships

Rich MillerMaritime NewsEnvironment, IMO, shipping

(LONDON) — The International Maritime Organization (IMO) announced on Tuesday that new requirements concerning safety of navigation and voyage planning for non-SOLAS ships operating in polar waters are expected to enter into force on Jan. 1, 2026. The announcement follows the adoption of a first set of amendments to the International Code for Ships Operating in Polar Waters (Polar Code)…

30 Mar

IMO panel weighs new proposals on ship systems, gear

Rich MillerMaritime NewsIMO, safety

(WASHINGTON) — The International Maritime Organization (IMO) Subcommittee on Ship Systems and Equipment (SSE) held its ninth session Feb. 27- March 3 in London. Brandi Baldwin, chief of the Coast Guard’s Lifesaving and Fire Safety Division in the Office of Design and Engineering Standards, led the U.S. delegation, comprised of members from the Coast Guard and technical advisers from government…