Liberia’s Permanent Representative to the International Maritime Organization (IMO), Robert Wilmont Kpadeh is leading the Liberian delegation at the 10th meeting of the International Maritime Organization Sub-Committee on Implementation of IMO Instruments (III 10).
The IMO Instruments Implementation Code (aka III Code or IIIC) is the key instrument behind the IMO Member State Audit Scheme, as it provides a Code that all Member States are audited against to assess capability and resources to satisfy international obligations in terms of Port State, Coastal State and Flag State.
The objective of this Code is to enhance global maritime safety and protection of the marine environment and assist States in the implementation of instruments of the Organization, as the technical session runs from July 22-26 2024.
During the session, discussions will be centered around several topics including: Measures to harmonize port State control (PSC) activities and procedures worldwide, Review of marine safety investigation reports and consolidated list of casualty analyses, Consideration and analysis of reports on alleged inadequacy of port reception facilities, Updated Survey Guidelines under the Harmonized System of Survey and Certification (HSSC), among others.
Liberia’s participation in this 10th session is extremely significant as Liberia prepares itself for the International Maritime Organization Member State Audit Scheme (IMSAS) scheduled for November this year.
Under the audit scheme, in accordance with the requirements of the III CODE which is used as the standard to guide the audit exercise, Liberia’s flag state, port state and coastal state functions will be assessed to determine how consistent and effective Liberia has been in implementing and enforcing those relevant IMO instruments for which Liberia is a contracting party.
