Council: 110th session, 15 to 19 July 2013

Restructuring of Sub-Committees endorsed by Council
The restructuring of the IMO Sub-Committees, to reduce the number to seven from nine, was endorsed by the Council when it met for its 110th session.
 
The new Sub-Committees will be the:
  • Sub-Committee on Human Element, Training and Watchkeeping (HTW);
  • Sub-Committee on Implementation of IMO Instruments (III);
  • Sub-Committee on Navigation, Communications and Search and Rescue (NCSR);
  • Sub-Committee on Pollution Prevention and Response (PPR);
  • Sub-Committee on Ship Design and Construction (SDC);
  • Sub-Committee on Ship Systems and Equipment (SSE); and
  • Sub-Committee on Carriage of Cargoes and Containers (CCC).

“IMO Conventions: Effective Implementation” is 2014 World Maritime Day theme
The Council endorsed a proposal by IMO Secretary-General Koji Sekimizu to adopt “IMO Conventions: Effective Implementation” as the World Maritime Day theme for 2014.

US rescuers and Chinese seafarer to receive IMO Bravery Award
The Council decided that the 2013 IMO Award for Exceptional Bravery at Sea will go to Aviation Survival Technician Second Class Randy J. Haba and Aviation Survival Technician Third Class Daniel J. Todd of the United States Coast Guard Air Station Elizabeth City, North Carolina, nominated by the Government of the United States, for saving the lives of 14 crew members from the tall ship HMS Bounty, during Hurricane Sandy. The Council also agreed to bestow the 2013 Award posthumously on Mr. Jinguo Yang, a crewmember on the ferry Tong Chang Qi Du 11, nominated by the Government of China, who gave his own life whilst trying to rescue a person in distress on the ferry, after it had collided with the cargo ship Shun Qiang 28.

Dr. Thomas A. Mensah (Ghana) to be awarded 2012 International Maritime Prize
The Council agreed to award the prestigiousInternational Maritime Prize for 2012 to Dr. Thomas A. Mensah of Ghana, former President of the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea and Assistant Secretary-General and Director of the Legal Affairs and External Relations Division at the International Maritime Organization (IMO), for his significant contribution to the work and objectives of the International Maritime Organization (IMO).