Marine Environment Protection Meeting held in PH

MANILA – The Philippines hosted the Second High-Level Regional Meeting on Marine Environment Protection of the Southeast Asian Seas (MEPSEAS) last August 27 with heads of maritime agencies from participating International Maritime Organization (IMO) Member States.

“As one of the beneficiary countries of this project, hosting this event not only allows us to demonstrate our full commitment in and support for this project, but also provides us the opportunity to reciprocate the initiative and efforts of the IMO and the Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation (NORAD),” said Assistant Secretary of the Department of Transportation (DOTr) for Maritime Lino H. Dab.

The IMO Project Coordination Unit and international consultants led the session by providing updates regarding the MEPSEAS Project website, initial steps undertaken to capacitate countries in implementing the provisions and requirement of the Conventions, results of the Train the Trainers (TTT) held in Singapore on 28 to 30 May 2019, and initial delivery of the training modules covering the Ballast Water Management (BWM) Convention, Anti-Fouling System (AFS) Convention, and MARPOL Annex V.

The MEPSEAS Project is a four-year project of the IMO which aims to provide assistance to Southeast Asian countries in ratifying and implementing IMO Instruments for the protection of the marine environment. It also aims to reduce the risks and impacts of environmental issues related to maritime transport in the ASEAN region.

 

Source: MARINA, The Manila Times, PNA