Our Use Of Cookies Participation in IMO Legal Committee and presentation by the Association of Commercial P&I Insurers (ACPII)
The Director, Gaute Sivertsen, and members of the Secretariat have been participating in the 110th meeting of the Legal Committee of the International Maritime Organization (IMO).
The agenda included a number of items of significant relevance to the IOPC Funds, in particular the entry into force and harmonised interpretation of the 2010 HNS Protocol. The IOPC Funds Secretariat had presented two documents under this agenda item. The first document, (LEG/ 110/3/1) provided a general update on the work undertaken by the IOPC Funds and IMO Secretariats to prepare for the entry into force of the 2010 HNS Convention. The second (LEG/ 110/INF.5) provided copies of the questionnaires recently issued by the IOPC Funds to Contracting States and those States preparing to soon ratify the Convention, regarding their existing or planned contributing cargo reporting procedures. The results of these questionnaires are due to be discussed at the HNS workshop on 3 and 4 April 2023 (read more here).
The Legal Committee also considered the impact on shipping and seafarers of the situation in the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov. The IOPC Funds has closely followed developments in this area, in particular with regards to the impact of international sanctions on the international liability and compensation regime, which is a subject on the agenda for the upcoming meeting of the IOPC Funds’ governing bodies in May 2023.
Guidance for the proper implementation and application of IMO liability and compensation conventions is also featured on the Legal Committee’s agenda. The IOPC Funds Secretariat together with the joint Audit Body, has been exploring ways in which to address the issues which can arise in incidents involving insurers who are not members of the International Group of P&I Associations. Linked to this item was the attendance of the Association of Commercial P&I Insurers (ACPII), who delivered a presentation during the lunch break on 29 March. This Association was formed in 2022 to support and promote high-quality commercial P&I operators in the global markets.