Deputy Transport Minister, Mrs. Joyce Bawa Mogtari is advocating for the effective implementation of International Maritime Organisation (IMO) Conventions by Ghana and all other IMO member countries within West and Central Africa.
This according her will ensure that the African continent continues to occupy an all important place in the scheme of things as far as world maritime affairs are concerned.
The Minister who was delivering the keynote address at the recently held Regional Workshop on the IMO Member State Audit Scheme noted that the objective of the IMO Member State Audit Scheme was to ascertain the extent to which the IMO Member States were discharging their responsibilities with respect to the implementation of the IMO instruments they have ratified.
According to her, the IMO instruments are meant to ensure uniformity and prevent unilateral actions which can bring about unfair competition in world trade.
‘’IMO’s work as the specialized United Nation’s agency for Maritime matters is to develop instruments and guidelines for maritime safety, maritime security, vessel source pollution and the facilitation of maritime transport’’ she pointed out.
Mrs. Mogtari intimated further that it was imperative to ensure that the sterling work of the International Maritime Organisation was not undone, adding that as such, it was prudent and necessary to effectively, consistently and fairly implement all instruments produced by the IMO.
‘’The aim of the IMO Audit Scheme must therefore be aimed at ensuring these responsibilities, especially among developing countries with limited resources’’ the deputy Minister further opined.
To buttress the need for effective implementation of the IMO conventions and instruments, Mrs. Mogtari noted ‘’ the IMO can make brilliant conventions, codes and guidelines, but without their effective implementation and enforcement, all the brilliant work will not be meaningful’’
Mrs. Mogtari said the enforcement of the instruments by IMO Member States was crucial in ensuring Maritime safety, Maritime security and the prevention and protection of the marine environment against vessel source pollution.
The Minister was hopeful the audit will not only dwell on physical enforcement of the instruments which encapsulate survey, inspection and certification of ships as well as examination and certification of seafarers, but will also look at national laws and sanctions that have been put in place to implement the various IMO Conventions with the view to making recommendations towards improving them, especially where standards are not met.
Mrs. Mogtari said she was not oblivious of the serious resource constraints and challenges that some Member States face for effective implementation and enforcement of the various IMO instruments, some of which may be in the form of inadequate human resource capacity to conduct survey and inspection of ships or examine seafarers for certification.
She added that the provision of reception facilities for ship waste may also pose a challenge due to financial constraints, stressing that it will therefore be useful to look critically at these challenges in any audit, with a view to making appropriate recommendations for consideration and implementation by Member States.
