The International Maritime Organization (IMO) Secretary-General Kitack Lim congratulated the Philippines for the positive results of the Independent Evaluation (IE) conducted last 14 to 22 December 2022 and the recently concluded European Maritime Safety Agency (EMSA) Inspection in the 44th ASEAN Maritime Transport Working Group meeting held from 09 to 11 May 2023 in Da Nang City, Viet Nam.

During the IE, the Philippines was able to address its obligations under the Regulation I/8 and Section A-I/8 of the Standards of Training, Certification and Watchkeeping (STCW) Convention. On the other hand, the European Commission will continue the recognition of Philippine-issued STCW Certificates, ensuring the employment of almost 50,000 Filipino marine officers onboard European-flagged vessels.

In his statement, the Secretary-General expressed his appreciation for the hard work and efforts of the Philippines towards the said undertakings.

“I believe that this experience will work very positively for the future development, adaptation to the new challenges, including decarbonization,” Secretary-General Lim added.

These kind words from the Secretary-General were received after the Head of the Philippine delegation, MARINA Deputy Administrator for Operations, Engr. Nannette Z. Villamor – Dinopol, delivered the Philippines’ interventions during the discussion on the IMO-ASEAN Partnership.

Engr. Dinopol conveyed the country’s gratitude to the IMO for their support to the Philippines during the Independent Evaluation, EMSA Inspection, Ferry Safety Assessment Project, and the GloFouling Partnerships Project.

“These are only few of the initiatives granted to us by the IMO and we could not express enough appreciation to the organization for continuously supporting us with cooperation programs, projects, and trainings that significantly benefit and strengthen the Philippine maritime industry,” Engr. Dinopol said.

Meanwhile, the Philippines, in partnership with the IMO and Danish Maritime Authority (DMA) will be co-hosting a Regional Conference on Decarbonization entitled “Seizing Opportunities for Green Shipping in Asia and the Pacific” on 16-17 May 2023 in Manila with the IMO Secretary-General as one of the keynote speakers.

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