TEMPO.CO, Jakarta-Indonesia’s re-election as a member of the International Maritime Organization (IMO)s Council is a reflection of the global body recognizing the country’s role as the worlds largest archipelagic nation.
As a nation located between the Indian and the Pacific Oceans, Indonesia has affirmed its ambition to become one of the worlds maritime axis.
Having more than 17 thousand islands, Indonesia is the largest archipelagic nation in the world, with some 5.8 million square kilometers of sea territory, that forms about 70 percent of its total territory, while its land territory covers only 1.9 million square kilometers.
It has a 92 thousand kilometers long coastline, making it the second-longest after Canada.
"Indonesia had an interest in becoming an IMO member because of its very strategic geography. By becoming a member of the IMO Council, Indonesia could contribute to the safety and security of international shipping," JA Barata, spokesman of the Indonesian transportation ministry, said in a statement.
Transportation Minister Ignasius Jonan is heading the country’s delegation to participate in the 29th session of the IMO Assembly, being held in London from November 23 to December 2, 2015.
When delivering his speech at the IMO Assembly, Minister Jonan reaffirmed Indonesia’s commitment to realizing the countrys vision of becoming a world maritime axis by 2019 to demonstrate its seriousness of protecting the maritime environment.
Indonesia has been a part of the IMO since 1961. It became a member of the IMO Council for the 1973-1979 period, and again in 1983. Since then, it continues to be a member of the Council.
A specialized agency of the United Nations, IMO is the global standard-setting authority for the safety, security and environmental performance of international shipping.
The 171-member organizations main role is to create a regulatory framework for the shipping industry that is fair and effective, universally adopted and universally implemented.
ANTARA
