IMO Secretary-General Koji Sekimizu arrives in Russia for a voyage along Northern Sea Route
IMO Secretary-General Koji Sekimizu has arrived in Moscow on an official visit, says press center of RF Transport Ministry. It is the second visit of Koji Sekimizu as IMO Secretary-General to the Russian Federation.
The purpose is to visit the Northern Sea Route. Mr. Sekimizu is going to participate in the Arctic sea voyage and to watch how ice navigation and icebreaker assistance are being arranged in this region.
The negotiations to be held in the course of this visit will be dedicated to interaction of Russian authorities with IMO. Mr. Sekimizu is to be informed about arrangement of navigation within the water area of the Northern Sea Route and measures undertaken by Russia as a littoral state and approved by RF Transport Ministry in 2013: Regulations on NSR navigation, measures on safe navigation and protection of marine environment from pollution caused by ships sailing along the Northern Sea Route.
IMO Secretary-General together with Deputy Minister of Transport of the Russian Federation Victor Olersky will make a 5-day voyage from the port of Dikson to Pevek aboard the nuclear-powered icebreaker 50 Let Pobedy, which provides icebreaking assistance within NSR water area.
Mr. Sekimizu’s mission is associated with the growing interest of the shipping industry to the Northern Sea Route and other Arctic waterways. IMO is currently completing developing a draft international code of safety for ships operating in polar waters including the Northern Sea Route. Russian undertakings could form the basis of the Polar Code.
Onboard the icebreaker, Victor Olersky and Koji Sekimizu are set to discuss related matters such as the logistics and supplies required to support Arctic navigation, the need for special qualifications for ships’ officers operating in the region and for the provision of adequate ice-breaking capability, safe navigation measures etc. They will also discuss the degree and nature of the responsibility borne by coastal States for the maintenance and support needed for such navigation; the implementation of the relevant provisions of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS, 1982).
The International Maritime Organization (IMO) is a specialized agency of the United Nations. The IMO's primary purpose is to develop and maintain a comprehensive regulatory framework for shipping and its remit today includes safety, environmental concerns, legal matters, technical co-operation, maritime security and the efficiency of shipping. Mr. Sekimizu was elected IMO Secretary-General in November 2011. His mandate started on 1 January 2012.
