Japan pushes for Asian voice at IMO
Japan is aiming to form a non-governmental organisation to represent the interests of Asian shipbuilders at the International Maritime Organization.
In an initiative spearheaded by the Japan Ship Technology Research Association, the Asian Shipbuilders Experts Forum aims to establish an NGO to put forward the interests of shipbuilders in the region at the IMO by 2011.
At present only European shipbuilders are represented at the IMO via the Community of European Shipyards Associations.
An NGO for Asian shipbuilders is seen as necessary to put forward the views of the world’s largest shipbuilding nations on issues such as goal based standards, ship recycling, air pollution and ballast water treatment systems.
The decisions made by IMO in all these areas has an impact on Asian shipbuilders, but at present they have no say or influence at the United Nations governing body.
The second meeting of ASEF in November this year in Pusan will bring together the world’s three largest shipbuilding nations with representatives from the China Association of National Shipbuilding Industry, the Korean Shipbuilders Association, and the Shipbuilders Association of Japan.
JSTRA officials have also been canvassing emerging shipbuilding nations such as Vietnam to be involved in the forum.
With a third forum planned for 2009 in China the plan is to formulate a framework for an ASEF secretariat that will then submit proposals to the IMO as a candidate for consultative status as an NGO. This process would take a minimum of two years from application to acceptance, meaning that Asian shipbuilders would be represented at the IMO from 2011 at the earliest.
In an initiative spearheaded by the Japan Ship Technology Research Association, the Asian Shipbuilders Experts Forum aims to establish an NGO to put forward the interests of shipbuilders in the region at the IMO by 2011.
At present only European shipbuilders are represented at the IMO via the Community of European Shipyards Associations.
An NGO for Asian shipbuilders is seen as necessary to put forward the views of the world’s largest shipbuilding nations on issues such as goal based standards, ship recycling, air pollution and ballast water treatment systems.
The decisions made by IMO in all these areas has an impact on Asian shipbuilders, but at present they have no say or influence at the United Nations governing body.
The second meeting of ASEF in November this year in Pusan will bring together the world’s three largest shipbuilding nations with representatives from the China Association of National Shipbuilding Industry, the Korean Shipbuilders Association, and the Shipbuilders Association of Japan.
JSTRA officials have also been canvassing emerging shipbuilding nations such as Vietnam to be involved in the forum.
With a third forum planned for 2009 in China the plan is to formulate a framework for an ASEF secretariat that will then submit proposals to the IMO as a candidate for consultative status as an NGO. This process would take a minimum of two years from application to acceptance, meaning that Asian shipbuilders would be represented at the IMO from 2011 at the earliest.