- Attending the 7th Session of the III Sub-Committee (July 12 to 16) -

The Republic of Korea’s Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries (MOF; Minister MOON, Seong-Hyeok) has announced that it will attend the seventh session of the III (IMO Instruments Implementation) Sub-Committee, which will be held via videoconference by the International Maritime Organization* (IMO, headquartered in London) from July 12 to 16 (Monday to Friday).

* The International Maritime Organization works under the auspices of the United Nations to establish, amend, and enforce international regulations governing maritime safety and maritime environmental

protection. The IMO has 174 full member states and three associate members.

The III Sub-Committee is a group designed to assess whether about 50* international conventions enacted by the IMO are properly reflected in the domestic laws and regulations of Member States and discuss ways of providing support for Member States, including developing countries, to faithfully implement the international conventions.

* A total of 50 of the 59 international conventions under the management of the IMO have entered into force, while the remaining nine have not.

As the COVID-19 pandemic has made it difficult for Port State Control (PSC)* officers to board foreign ships to check the implementation of the international conventions, including safety standards, Member States are planning to discuss the necessity of introducing remote PSC inspection as a practical alternative through the use of telephone interviews, videos, and photos, allowing officers to do their work without having to board ships.

* Port State Control (PSC) is the inspection of foreign ships in national ports to verify that the conditions of the ships and their equipment comply with the requirements of international regulations and that the ships are manned and operated in compliance with these rules.

To increase the effectiveness of the IMO Member State Audit Scheme (IMSAS),* which is conducted to check the implementation of the international conventions by IMO Member States, ways of creating detailed guidelines on how to prepare for the audit will be discussed.

* The IMSAS is a systematic, independent and documented process for obtaining audit evidence and evaluating it objectively to determine the extent to which audit criteria are fulfilled.

In addition, Member States will be sharing details on cases of major marine incidents that have occurred since 2010 and discussing ways of setting a deadline for the submission of marine incident reports so that analysis of causes, such as non-compliance with international conventions, and measures for preventing recurrence can be quickly prepared after a marine incident occurs.

About 170 IMO Member States, including the Republic of Korea, will participate in the III Sub-Committee, and the Republic of Korea plans to attend the meeting by forming a delegation with members from professional organizations related to the maritime sector, such as the Korea Maritime Safety Tribunal (KMST), Korea Center for International Maritime Safety Cooperation (KMC), Korea Maritime Transportation Safety Authority (KOMSA), and Korean Register of Shipping (KR).

Cheong Tae-seong, Director of the Maritime Affairs and Policy Division of the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries, said “By participating in the III Sub-Committee, we are going to review once again the Republic of Korea’s implementation of the international standards in the maritime sector, including shipping and shipbuilding.” He went on to add, “We will do our best to become a model for the international community as a global maritime power by thoroughly complying with all international standards for securing ship safety and protecting the marine environment."