The International Maritime Organisation (IMO) expressed its confidence that the continuing ‘Safety at Sea’ initiative of Tristar will contribute greatly to safety at sea.
Shipping today transports more than 80 per cent of global trade, providing a reliable low-cost means of transporting goods globally, facilitating trade and helping prosperity among nations and people. According to the IMO, the Covid-19 pandemic and other difficulties facing the global shipping industry have brought tremendous hardships for seafarers.
“The IMO will continue to work tirelessly to deal with challenges related to maritime safety by means of a multi-pronged approach, including policy development, direct interventions by our Seafarer Crisis Action Team (SCAT), and interagency and industry partnerships. We will continue to work with governments, industry stakeholders and other international organisations to enhance maritime safety and security,” explained IMO Secretary General, Kitack Lim, in his opening remarks.
The IMO commended the efforts of the United Arab Emirates, which was one of the first countries to classify seafarers as ‘priority workers’ and facilitated the safe exchange of more than 240,000 seafarers, who were assisted to return to their home countries safely, as well as provided with medical treatment and Covid-19 vaccines.