Ministry of Transportation Will Discuss Maritime Environmental Monitoring at International Forum

Ministry of Transportation Will Discuss Maritime Environmental Monitoring at International Forum

 

Jakarta – Indonesia will be involved in the 11th Sub-Committee on Pollution Prevention and Response (PPR) session which will be held from 19 to 23 February 2024 at the International Maritime Organization (IMO) Headquarters in London, United Kingdom.

The Ministry of Transportation has begun making preparations to welcome the trial by holding meetings with other Ministries/Agencies related to prevention, pollution and protection of the maritime environment.

Director of Shipping and Maritime Affairs, Hartanto explained that as mandated by the United Nations (UN), upholding state sovereignty in the field of maritime environmental protection in Indonesia must be the concern of every stakeholder.

Hartanto said that not only within the Ministry of Transportation but also other Ministries/Institutions that have an interest in preserving the marine environment and all its resources.

“PPR discusses various technical and operational issues related to pollution prevention and protection of the maritime environment on orders from MEPC or at the request of MSC,” he said, in his statement, quoted Thursday (8/2/2024).

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The issues discussed at the meeting by the Ministry of Transportation included, among others, preventing and controlling pollution of the marine environment from ships and other related maritime activities, safe and environmentally friendly closure of ships, evaluating the safety and danger of pollution from liquid materials in the form of bulk carried by ships.

Then, control and management of dangerous aquatic organisms in ballast water and ship sediments, biofouling, as well as preparedness, response and cooperation to overcome oil pollution and toxic hazardous materials.

“So far, Indonesia has always utilized the IMO PPR forum in its capacity not only as a member country, but also in its status as a member of the IMO Council Category C to voice national interests regarding maritime aspects, especially related to maritime environmental protection. This of course requires support from all stakeholders, said Hartanto.

For this reason, continued Hartanto, this meeting was held, namely to discuss various proposals from IMO member countries regarding various technical and legal aspects in protecting the maritime environment, as well as to determine Indonesia’s position regarding these proposals.

According to him, this matter is important to discuss because the decisions resulting from this PPR Session will affect the technical and legal aspects of shipping and maritime environmental protection in Indonesia.

“I hope that all participants can provide input actively to provide provisions for the Indonesian delegation who will attend the 11th PPR session,” he concluded.

The PPR itself, is a meeting under the Marine Environment Protection Committee (MEPC), which is the IMO’s second largest committee after the Maritime Safety Committee (MSC), which has the authority to consider matters related to the prevention and supervision of maritime environmental pollution, especially those related to the adoption of or changes to conventions and other regulations and measures ensuring the enforcement of these Conventions and regulations.

Furthermore, the Head of Sub-Directorate for Pollution Prevention and Ship Safety Management and Environmental Protection in Waterways, Miftakhul Hadi, revealed that the 11th PPR Session will discuss 18 (eighteen) agendas with 12 (twelve) major agendas.

“The hearing will be divided into Technical Groups, Working Groups and Preparation Groups with parallel discussion time which will discuss 5 (five) things, including 1 (one) Technical Group discussing Safety Evaluation and Chemical Pollution Hazards, 3 (three) Working Groups discussing “Marine Biosecurity, Air Pollution from Ships and Plastic Waste from Ships, as well as 1 (one) Preparation Group discussing Responses to Pollution,” said Miftakhul.

For information, the preparatory meeting was attended by participants consisting of representatives from the Ministry of Transportation, as well as various Ministries/Institutions related to maritime environmental protection such as the Coordinating Ministry for Maritime Affairs and Investment, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Environment and Forestry, the Ministry of Energy and Resources Minerals, National Research and Innovation Agency, Indonesian Classification Bureau, Faculty of Law, Airlangga University, and DPP INSA, as well as the Association of Indonesian Ship and Offshore Industry Companies (Iperindo).

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