Upcoming HNS Workshop – States and key stakeholders invited to register now for this hybrid event

Registration remains open for the upcoming HNS workshop which will be conducted in a hybrid format, with representatives participating either in person at the headquarters of the International Maritime Organization in London, or remotely.  The workshop will take place on 3 and 4 April 2023, directly following the meeting of the 110th session of the IMO Legal Committee (26 to 31 March 2023).

This event, which is being organised by Canada in cooperation with the Secretariats of IMO and the IOPC Funds, follows the success of previous workshops, with the primary objective of assisting States in their work towards ratification of the 2010 HNS Protocol.

Following discussions with a number of States, it has been recognised that an efficient and jointly approved system for reporting HNS contributing cargo is key to ensuring the success of the 2010 HNS Convention. This particular workshop will, among other things,  focus in detail on the challenges faced by States and industry in relation to the reporting of HNS as contributing cargo.

The IOPC Funds Secretariat has recently circulated a note summarising the main HNS reporting issues together with two questionnaires which should encourage States to provide information on their domestic legislation regarding HNS reporting, to inform the Secretariat of any issues they have faced and to raise any questions they may have regarding some of the more advanced issues related to HNS reporting (read more here). The results of the questionnaires will be discussed during the Workshop.

The workshop will also encourage open discussion between all parties about other HNS legislative aspects and will include the presentation of some recent incidents involving HNS, highlighting the importance of this Convention.

The draft programme for the workshop and registration details can be found in IMO Circular Letter No.4620/Rev.1.

It is expected that the workshop will be of interest to representatives of States considering ratifying the 2010 HNS Protocol and participation is open to all Governments, IGOs and NGOs in consultative status with IMO and IOPC Funds which have pertinent expertise. Participation of policy and decision-makers with respect to this matter is particularly encouraged.