23 February – Officials of the Maritime Industry Authority of the Philippines (MARINA) and the Permanent Representative of the Philippines to the International Maritime Organization (IMO) discussed with experts from the Marine Environment Division (MED) of IMO on the implementation of the Marine Environment Protection of the South East Asian Seas (MEPSEAS) Project, the second phase  of the IMO – NORAD (Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation) Technical Cooperation Project for the ASEAN Countries.

MARINA officials led by Undersecretary for Maritime Transport Felipe Judan of the Department of Transport (DOTr) and   Amb. Gilberto Asuque, Permanent Representative to the IMO, met Mr. Jose Matheickal, Deputy Director of the MED; Mr. Bekir Sitki Ustaoglu, Head of the Asia Pacific Section, Technical Cooperation Division; and Ms. Melanie Sgueglia, Principal Secretary, MED at the MARINA office in Manila on the details of the IMO-NORAD MEPSEAS project especially as it pertains to the Philippines.

MARINA officials led by Usec Felipe Judan, DOTr Undersecretary for Maritime Transport, Amb. Gilberto Asuque, Permanent Representative to the IMO, Atty. Josephine Uranza, IMO Regional Coordinator for East Asia and Ms. Brenda Pimentel welcome IMO officials during their visit to the MARINA on 23 February 2018

The project aims to develop the national capacities of seven ASEAN nations, including the Philippines, to enable them to implement high-priority IMO environmental conventions namely, the Ballast Water Management Convention (BWM), the Anti-Fouling Systems Convention (AFS), the International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships (MARPOL) and its Annexes, and the London Convention and Protocol.

The IMO-MED officials visited Manila from 20 February 2018 for three days of consultative meetings with key government agencies in connection with the ratification, accession and implementation of the conventions covered by the project.

Atty. Josephine Uranza, IMO Regional Coordinator for East Asia and Ms. Brenda Pimentel, Coordinator for the IMO-NORAD Project, joined the MED officials during the discussions in MARINA. The IMO Officials conducted a Project Implementation Workshop on the MEPSEAS Project at MARINA on February 23 attended by representatives from various government agencies.

Mr. Matheickal delivered a presentation on the state of marine environment protection in the SouthEast Asian Seas and a background of the IMO – NORAD Foundation Project. He stressed the importance of fast-tracking the implementation of the high-priority conventions, particularly the BWM and AFS, as these will undoubtedly be instrumental in helping the ASEAN Member-States improve their technological capacities in terms of protecting their respective marine environments.

IMO officials brief Philippine officials on the IMO-NORAD Technical Cooperation Project for the ASEAN Countries during a Workshop held at the MARINA on 23 February 2018.

Undersecretary Judan thanked the IMO and NORAD for the MEPSEAS Project that would enhance the capabilities of the Philippines to contribute to the strategic goals of the IMO in protecting the marine environment for the operation of ships. For his part, PermRep Asuque discussed measures to facilitate the ratification or accession by the Philippines of the BWM, AFS, Annex VI of MARPOL and other IMO conventions as he expressed appreciation for the visit of the IMO officials to discuss the MEPSEAS Project. At the same time, PermRep Asuque informed meeting that the President has signed the ratification papers for AFS Convention and Annex VI of MARPOL which are being considered by the Senate for concurrence. END