South Africa makes inroads at the International Maritime Organization
South Africa has made great strides at the International Maritime Organization (IMO).
Day Two of the IMO Council’s 122nd Session saw Transport Minister Fikile Mbalula successfully engage with representatives of some of the organization’s over 170 member states.
Minister Mbalula facilitated the signing of the Multilateral Search and Rescue Agreement, by the Angolan Ambassador to the United Kingdom, Rui J. Carneiro Mangueira, at the IMO Headquarters in London.
The objective of the Multilateral Search and Rescue Agreement is to ensure cooperation between signatories – Angola, Comoros, Madagascar, Mozambique, Namibia and South Africa – in pulling together resources to improve maritime search and rescue in the region.
The signing of the agreement was a watershed moment, as Angola was the last outstanding signatory.
Following that engagement, Minister Mbalula met with the United Arab Emirates’ Minister of Infrastructure Development and Chairman of
Federal Transport Authority, Dr Abdullah Belhhaif Al Nuaimi. Minister Mbalula and his counterpart discussed the strengthening of relations, the future of the maritime industry, common goals in the sector, opportunities for collaboration and World Maritime Day Parallel Events.
The IMO is a United Nations specialized agency, whose chief objective is to set international standards for safe, secure, environmentally sound, efficient and sustainable shipping. The IMO Council’s 122nd session is taking place at the organization’s Headquarters in London, from the 15th until the 19th of July 2019.
