By Binta Jaiteh
Abas Saidykhan Head of the maritime safety and security department has said Maritime safety is important because neglecting it can lead to unfathomable disasters such as the fatal tanker explosion of a bow mariner.
In his presentation, he cited the sinking of the Motor Ship (MS) Estonia, the MS Herald of Free Enterprise accident, and the sinking of the Royal Mail Ship (RMS) Titanic.
According to him, maritime safety is a broad term including everything from ship construction to maintenance and how professional the crews are. It is always the shipping company’s overall responsibility to provide optimal conditions and resources for propelling the ship safely at sea.
He said maritime safety is the protection of the crew and passengers aboard vessels, as well as those living or working near bodies of water, from hazards and the risk of injury.
“For the improvement of safety at sea, development of international regulations is key which is to be followed by all shipping nations adding that from mid-19th century going several such treaties were adopted, “he said
Furthermore, countries proposed for the establishment of a permanent international body to be saddled with the responsibilities of promoting maritime safety more effectively this could not be realized until the establishment of the UN itself.
IMO was established in 1948 in Geneva by an international conference in 1982, IMO was called inter–governmental Maritime Consultative Organization (IMCO). The IMO Convention entered into force in 1958 and the maiden meeting of the organization was held the subsequent year.
He noted that IMO is the UN specialized agency responsible for the safety and security of shipping and the prevention of marine and atmospheric pollution by ships. Additionally supports the UN sustainable development goals presently they have 175 member states and 50 conventions and protocols.
However, as summarized by article 1(a) of the convention is to provide machinery for cooperation among governmental regulations and practices relating to technical matters of all kinds affecting shipping engaged in international trade. Encourage and facilitate the general adoption of the highest practicable standards in matters concerning maritime safety, the efficiency of navigation, and prevention and control of marine pollution from ships.
