ASIATODAY.ID, JAKARTA – Indonesia called for global maritime protection when presenting ideas at the 81st Session of the Marine Environment Protection Committee (MEPC 81) which was held at the International Maritime Organization (IMO) Headquarters in London, England.
“We condemn the actions that have caused casualties among ship crews and hope that all countries can respect navigation safety, security and safety of seafarers as well as protection of the marine environment,” said the Director of Shipping and Maritime Affairs, Indonesian Ministry of Transportation, Hartanto when delivering his intervention at the MEPC Session 81 as quoted from an official statement in Jakarta, Sunday, March 24 2024.
At the 81st Session of the Marine Environment Protection Committee, the Indonesian delegation also emphasized that efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in the shipping sector and energy transition should not burden developing countries, especially LDCs and SIDS.
“Indonesia also emphasizes that revenue collection is not included in the 2023 Greenhouse Gas Strategy so it is not mandatory. “Member countries can explore a wider range of options regarding funding efforts to address climate change specifically designed for the shipping industry,” said Hartanto.
Furthermore, Indonesia hopes that the option chosen must be able to support transition efforts and also be acceptable to all parties.
He said that after very intensive discussions, the MEPC 81 Session succeeded in agreeing on a way forward, including in the context of preparing a basket of measures related to reducing GHG emissions which included technical and economic efforts.
Furthermore, the formation of the GESAMP-LCA Working Group, holding the Fifth GHG Expert Workshop in the context of developing further action efforts, as well as approving the LCA Correspondence Group framework and the draft outline of the IMO net-zero framework.
“Member countries also agreed to wait for the results of a comprehensive impact study as a basis for determining the elements of medium-term basket measures,” said Hartanto.
The Indonesian delegation also expressed condolences for the accident of the Motor Tanker Keoyoung Sun off the coast of Japan on March 20 2024, which had eight crew members from Indonesia, two people from the Republic of Korea and one person from China. It was recorded that one Indonesian crew member survived, six Indonesian crew members died and one person is still being searched for.
“We at the Directorate General of Sea Transportation continue to communicate with related parties including the Transportation Attaché at the Indonesian Embassy in Japan, the Japan Coast Guard, as well as communication with the family,” explained Hartanto.
The meeting, which was held on 18-22 March 2024, chaired by Harry Conway (Liberia) as Chair of MEPC 81 and Hanqiang Tan (Singapore) as Vice-Chair discussed a number of main agendas, including determining elements of action efforts related to reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
Then prevention of marine pollution from ships, energy efficiency from ships, amendments to a number of provisions of the MARPOL Convention, the issue of marine plastic waste, protection of sensitive marine areas (PSSA) and other maritime protection issues.
Secretary General of the International Maritime Organization (IMO) Arsenio Dominguez expressed condemnation of the ongoing attacks by the Houthis on sailors and ships crossing the Red Sea which resulted in casualties and called for an immediate end to these attacks.
Most of the delegations present at MEPC 81, including Indonesia, supported the IMO Secretary General’s call for an immediate halt to attacks in the Red Sea by the Houthis and encouraged rescue and mitigation efforts for victims of attacks.
The MEPC 81 meeting was attended by IMO Member States, representatives from UN specialized agencies, as well as observers from Intergovernmental Organizations (IGOs) and Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs), as well as a number of associations related to the shipping industry with consultative status. (AT Network)
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