Sub-Committee on Pollution Prevention and Response (PPR 11) - Opening remarks

ADDRESS OF THE SECRETARY-GENERAL AT THE OPENING OF THE ELEVENTH SESSION OF THE SUB-COMMITTEE ON POLLUTION PREVENTION AND RESPONSE (PPR 11), 19 to 23 February 2024

Delivered by IMO Secretary-General Mr. Arsenio Dominguez on 19 February 2024

Good morning distinguished delegates and observers. I am pleased to welcome you all to the eleventh session of the Sub-Committee on Pollution Prevention and Response.

Before I proceed, it is with profound sadness that I share the news of the sudden passing of our esteemed colleague, from the United States delegation, Mr. Jaideep SIRKAR. It was only a few weeks ago that he was attending SDC 10 in his capacity as Vice-Chair of the Sub-committee. Jaideep originally trained as a naval architect and accumulated more than four decades of experience in marine safety, ship design, and regulatory development. His expertise and dedication earned him high regard among his colleagues, IMO peers, and the IMO Secretariat alike. I am sure that I speak for all of us present here when I say that our thoughts and prayers are with his family at this difficult time. I would now like to invite the Sub-Committee to observe a minute of silence to pay tribute to Mr. Jaideep SIRKAR.

In view of the situation in the Red Sea, I want to urge for the immediate release of the Galaxy Leader and its crew.

The first impact of this crisis is on seafarers, before it has an impact on trade. It is the responsibility of this Organization and its Member States to protect all seafarers.

I reiterated my firm belief that the exercise of navigational rights and freedom by merchant vessels must be respected. I join the calls for caution and restraint to avoid further escalation of the situation. 

IMO will continue to contribute to enhancing the safety of seafarers and transit of vessels of all States through the Red Sea and will closely monitor the situation, in collaboration with Member States and partners from the industry.

In light of the ongoing oil pollution incident in Trinidad and Tobago, I extend my deepest sympathies and support to all those affected. While there remain many details that require confirmation as to the casualty and how this incident has occurred, I take this opportunity to convey my heartfelt appreciation to those working tirelessly on the response.

As many of you are already aware, this year’s World Maritime Day theme is: “Navigating the future: safety first!”.

There is a critical link between ensuring the safety of navigation and preventing marine pollution, setting the stage for this session's agenda.

There are several important matters that your Sub-Committee needs to consider and deliver on at this session, but I wish to highlight in particular the work to prevent ship-source spills of plastic pellets. The urgency of this issue was underscored once again by the recent spill of plastic pellets in December of last year along the coast of north-western Spain, which led to significant pollution. I therefore urge you to prioritize the finalization of recommendations for the carriage of plastic pellets by sea in freight containers and draft guidelines on clean-up of plastic pellets from ship-source spills.

In this context, it is also important to consider proposals submitted regarding instruments that could be used as the legal basis for the development of mandatory measures for the carriage of plastic pellets in packaged form.

Additionally, this session's agenda includes a variety of other items that require focused attention and constructive dialogue to achieve significant progress, including:

  1. the development of guidance on matters relating to in-water cleaning;

  2. the reduction of the impact on the Arctic of Black Carbon emissions from international shipping;

  3. the evaluation and harmonization of rules and guidance on the discharge of discharge water from exhaust gas cleaning systems into the marine environment, including conditions and areas;

  4. the revision of MARPOL Annex IV and associated guidance to improve the lifetime performance of sewage treatment plants; and

  5. the draft amendments to MARPOL Annex V to enhance the reporting of fishing gear losses, in close cooperation with FAO.

I also take this opportunity to express my appreciation to the Chair of the ESPH Technical Group, Mrs. Jeannette Gómez Contreras of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, as well as the delegations that contributed to the outcome of ESPH 29, the report of which you will consider this week.

Distinguished delegates,

This is a lengthy agenda, but I am confident that, under the expert guidance of your Chair, Dr Flavio da Costa Fernandes of Brazil, ably supported by your Vice-Chair, Dr Anita Mäkinen of Finland, as well as the staff of the Marine Environment Division, you will be able to successfully to deal with all the challenges.

In conclusion, I extend best wishes to you for every success in your deliberations; and I invite you all to join me and the Secretariat at my welcome reception in the Delegates' Lounge after the close of today's business. 

Thank you.

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