The IMO Legal Committee has begun its 107th session, meeting
in virtual). Important items on its agenda include matters relating to the work
of the Legal Committee and the COVID-19 pandemic and related agenda items on
fair treatment of seafarers and the abandonment of seafarers.
Opening the session, IMO Secretary-General Kitack Lim
stressed the need to prioritise the well-being of more than 1.6 million
seafarers working on board seagoing ships every day to deliver goods around the
world. "As I have repeatedly emphasized, seafarers are the silent heroes
and collateral victims of the COVID-19 pandemic, as travel restrictions have
left hundreds of thousands of them stranded on ships, or unable to join ships.
IMO, together with other United Nations system organizations, has taken
countless actions to address the serious issues that have arisen during this
crew change crisis, and we will continue to seek solutions to put an end to the
crisis.," Mr Lim said.
The Committee will consider a proposal for a new output, to
address the fair treatment of seafarers detained on suspicion of committing
maritime crimes, recognizing the global nature of shipping, crossing many
jurisdictions, and seafarers' rights to a fair trial.
A second proposal for new work raises the need to develop a
set of guidelines for port State authorities on how to deal with seafarer
abandonment cases. Such guidelines could provide a solid basis for the
introduction of a unified procedure to follow in order to speed up the process
of repatriation of seafarers and to improve port operations.
Another important topic for the Committee concerns unlawful
practices associated with the fraudulent registration and fraudulent registries
of ships, following agreement at the last session of a series of measures to
prevent those unlawful practices
The Committee will also consider action being taken to
facilitate the entry into force and harmonized interpretation of the 2010 HNS
Convention, a key treaty, which, when in force, will address liability and
compensation for accidents involving hazardous and noxious substances.