Technical Cooperation on Marine Environment

Within the framework of the International Technical Cooperation Programme (ITCP), IMO provides assistance to Member States through activities aimed at implementing the following thematic priorities relating to the protection of the marine environment:

  1. assisting countries in implementing the MARPOL Convention in general and more specifically in providing port reception facilities; establishing of Special Areas or PSSAs; uniform application of revised Annex V (Regulations for the prevention of pollution by garbage from ships) and Annex VI (Regulations for the prevention of air pollution from ships) and related waste management measures;
  2. assisting countries in implementing the OPRC Convention and the OPRC-HNS Protocol and enhancing regional cooperation in marine pollution preparedness, response and cooperation as well as addressing aspects of the implementation of the relevant international regimes on liability and compensation for oil and HNS pollution damage;
  3. strengthening national and regional capacity and fostering regional cooperation for the ratification and effective implementation of the Hong Kong Convention on Ship Recycling, the Ballast Water Management Convention and ships' biofouling guidelines; and
  4. assisting countries in ratifying and implementing the London Protocol on prevention of pollution by dumping of wastes and other matters.

In 2015, the Marine Environment Division organized a total of 64 technical cooperation activities worldwide including workshops, seminars, trainings and other capacity building events.
Most of these activities are organized in partnership with regional organizations around the world, contributing to the successful implementation of technical cooperation activities. These regional organizations include the Black Sea Commission (BSC), the Permanent Commission for the South Pacific (CPPS), the Partnerships in Environmental Management for the Seas of East Asia (PEMSEA), the Regional Organization for the Conservation of the Environment of the Red Sea & Gulf of Aden (PERSGA), the Regional Marine Pollution Emergency Information and Training Centre for the Wider Caribbean (RAC/REMPEITC-Caribe), the Regional Marine Pollution Emergency Response Centre for the Mediterranean Sea (REMPEC), the Regional Organization for the Protection of the Marine Environment (ROPME), the South Asia Co-operative Environment Programme (SACEP), and the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP), among others.