TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The International Maritime Organization (IMO) secretary-general H.E. Kitack Lim has paid his first official visit to Indonesia since taking office in 2015.
IMO secretary-general Kitack Lim is slated to meet President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo and Transportation Minister Budi Karya Sumadi. President Jokowi had earlier met with Mr. Kitack in London in April 2016. The President was present as a speaker in the 70th session of IMO’s Maritime Environment Protection Committee (MEPC).
Transportation Minister Budi Karya Sumadi, when met in Jakarta, said that the IMO secretary-general’s visit to Indonesia is a very strategic move in relation to Indonesia’s marine transport development. “It’s an honor and a good opportunity for Indonesia to show our existence and commitment to improving safety and security of shipping as well as conservation of the maritime environment,” the minister said in a written statement received on Tuesday, February 21, 2017.
IMO secretary-general Kitack Lim arrived in Jakarta yesterday and is scheduled to meet the Transportation Ministry before heading to Bali to meet with President Joko Widodo in the fourth World Ocean Summit held in Nusa Dua on February 23-24. Mr. Lim will address the issue of climate change.
The meeting between Transportation Minister and IMO secretary-general will raise the issue of, among others, Indonesia’s mission to become a global maritime axis, improvement in sea transport connectivity through sea toll and port development, shipping navigation support infrastructure, Indonesia’s role in the Malacca and Singapore Straits shipping, the ratification of IMO conventions, which include SOLAS Protocol 88 and LOAD LINES Protocol 88, as well as the implementation of Ballast Water Management Convention 2004.
A. Tonny Budiono, Director General of Sea Transport at the Transportation Ministry, explained that Indonesia is a member of Category C of the IMO Council and expects to maximize its role in international maritime affairs. Being a member of IMO Council, Indonesia is aspiring to become a global maritime axis by 2019.
The International Maritime Organization (IMO) is a special agency of the United Nations (UN) established in 1948, with responsibility for the safety and security of shipping as well as prevention of marine pollution. IMO currently has 172 member states and three associate members, having its headquarters in the United Kingdom.
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