South Africa has become one of only a few countries in the world which this past weekend were officially elected onto the influential Council of the International Maritime Organisation(IMO) during its assembly currently taking place in London.
Bidding for re-election for another two years, South Africa garnered just below 120 out of 153 countries which voted this past Friday in London. The 26th session of the IMO Assembly takes place every two years and is being held from 23 November to 4 December 2009. Transport Minister Sibusiso Ndebele led the country’s successful bid for IMO Council during a drama filled lobbying process in London which culminated in the vote on Friday.
All 169 member states and three associate members are entitled to attend the assembly, which is IMO’s governing body. The Assembly approves the work programme, votes the budget and determines the financial arrangements of the IMO. It also elects the 40 member council. Not all 169 members were in good standing to qualify to vote. Council elections followed intense drama, lobbying and horse trading between various countries wanting to become council members in categories A, B and C. South Africa bid for category C council membership based on the size of the country’s maritime industry compared to the rest of the world.
South Africa returned to the IMO in 1995 following the end of apartheid. Dumisani Ntuli, South Africa’s current alternate permanent representative to the IMO currently serves as a “highly regarded” vice-chairperson of council. South Africa has now bid to chair the council and will know the allocation of positions only on 4 December 2009.
Transport Minister Sibusiso Ndebele said South Africa would use its membership to grow the maritime sector: “We now take our place proudly among the 40 leading maritime nations of the world. We will use our place in the IMO Council to develop our maritime sector, create jobs and grow our economy,” said Minister Ndebele.
Minister Ndebele said the maritime sector provided many other opportunities: “African people along coastal areas of our country have absolutely no relationship with the sea, no relationship at all. The only time the majority has anything to do with the sea is during the festive season. Even a cursory glance at this fleeting relationship shows that it is a touch and go one at best involving thousands who clearly cannot even demonstrate basic swimming skills in that sea. It is a very embarrassing thing to see,” said Ndebele.
“The IMO has declared 2010 the Year of the Seafarer. We must grab this opportunity to attract all our people into this international industry which offers opportunities for travel, training and work in any part of the world,” said Ndebele.
Minister Ndebele told assembly delegates South Africa was located on a long coast line of just under 3 000 kilometres, surrounded by three oceans. On one side was the Indian, the Atlantic and on the other the Southern ocean.
“South Africa has jurisdiction over about 1 million square kilometres of economic exclusive zone (EEZ), and a search and rescue responsibility spanning over a 27 million square kilometres zone, covering a vast sea room up to the polar continent of the Antarctic,” said Minister Ndebele.
“A major part of world trade depends on South Africa’s coastal waters. We are situated on a major sea route which currently facilitates the safe and secure movement of about 500 million tons of crude petrochemical sea trade. This represent over 30 percent of the world’s petrochemical production, on board over 5 000 tanker voyages of very large crude carriers per annum,” said Ndebele.
The country’s ports handle over 430 metres tons of varied cargo types, carried on over 9 000 ship calls each year. In addition, thousands of merchant ships, fishing and commercial vessels and hundreds of special platforms transited or visit our ports every year. Minister Ndebele South Africa responded to over 40 incidents at sea every year. The Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre in Cape Town to include 13 countries in our region has gained momentum particularly in the area of capacity building.
”To that end South Africa’s Centre for Sea Watch and Response, which houses our Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre and the Standby Salvage Tug programme responds to over 40 marine incidents a month, with the standby tug assisting hundreds of transiting ships in distress annually, some incidents occurring far out in the polar Antarctic region,” said Minister Ndebele.
South Africa currently manages the western Indian Ocean Marine Highway project on behalf of the 13 countries of the western Indian Ocean.
“To South Africa’s credit in the world, the project obtained an unqualified audit opinion from the World Bank auditors,” said an excited Ndebele.
The assembly is reviewing work carried out by the organisation during the biennium 2008 to 2009, through the Council, the five IMO committees and the secretariat. Highlights include the adoption, in May this year, of the Hong Kong International Convention for the Safe and Environmentally Sound Recycling of Ships 2009. It includes the efforts made to develop a regulatory regime for greenhouse gas emissions from ships and to prevent and repress acts of piracy and armed robbery against ships. The IMO is also looking at capacity building in developing countries.
Contact:
Thami Ngidi
Cell: 082 888 0852
Issued by: The Department of Transport
1 December 2009
