IMO

As the international shipping industry continues to explore measures to conserve and protect underwater life, the International Maritime Organization (IMO) is proposing the future monitoring of Underwater Radiated Noise (URN), which may lead to the establishment of thresholds combined with long-term monitoring requirements for certain regions.

Underwater noise from ships can significantly impact marine life by disrupting communication, navigation, and feeding behaviors in various species. This noise pollution can cause stress, disorientation, and even physical harm to marine animals, particularly those that rely on sound, such as whales, dolphins, and fish, leading to potential long-term consequences for their populations and ecosystems.

In the HyPNoS (Hydrodynamic Propeller Noise Monitoring System) research project, international propulsion specialist SCHOTTEL, together with project funder Transport Canada and partner BC Ferries, investigated the emission of URN from ship propulsion systems in the waters off Vancouver, Canada. The focus was on developing methods for measuring, predicting and reporting URN and deriving optimized design measures to reduce it. The research now culminates in the development of an on-board, real-time URN reporting system for crew and vessel operators.  

Development of a unique URN monitoring system
The establishment of environmental protection zones regarding URN emissions or the sighting of endangered marine life currently forces ships to avoid certain areas or to reduce their speed when passing through them. However, reducing speed does not always guarantee a reduction in URN. Hull vibration above the propeller is known to correlate directly with underwater noise. HyPNoS investigated the possibility of reducing underwater noise on a series of double-ended ferries in Canada, with the aim of developing a unique URN monitoring system based on state-of-the-art machine learning technology. The immediate motivation for the HyPNoS project was the protection of whale species, specifically the Southern Resident Killer Whales in the Strait of Georgia near Vancouver.

The research was carried out as part of Transport Canada's Quiet Vessel Initiative (QVI). The research focused on developing and installing a working prototype of a calibrated live on-board URN monitoring system. This system provides live feedback to the crew and operator on the underwater noise emissions of their vessels during operation, allowing operational measures to be used to influence the emitted noise.

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The second global Women in Maritime Survey is being conducted by the International Maritime Organization (IMO) and the Women's International Shipping & Trading Association (WISTA International). This Survey is run every three years to obtain baseline data on the number of women in maritime and oceans fields and the positions they occupy.

This Survey supports implementation of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by having comparable data that will assist in creating programmes and proposing policies that will increase the participation of women in maritime.

The Survey includes questions for companies, non-governmental organizations, intergovernmental organizations, and private maritime training institutes/academies. It should be completed only once by each organization. Please note that this survey is voluntary.

You can preview the survey questions by clicking here. To fill out the survey, please click here.

The survey will be open until 23:59 GMT 31 December 2024.

Thank you,

National CMAC Secretariat

The requirement under the Convention on Facilitation of International Maritime Traffic (FAL), requires Governments to use a single digital platform or “Maritime Single Window” to share and exchange information with ships when they call at ports, from 1 January 2024. This will streamline procedures to clear the arrival, stay and departure of ships and greatly enhance the efficiency of shipping worldwide.

IMO Secretary-General Arsenio Dominguez said: “Digitalization is critical for greater efficiency in shipping. The Maritime Single Window delivers information between ships, ports and government agencies quickly, reliably and smoothly.”

More than 4.6 million port calls were recorded globally in 2022. Typically, ships spend at least one full day in port (more or less depending on the ship type). 

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In 2022, the IMO's Facilitation Committee adopted amendments to the Annex to the Facilitation (FAL) Convention which will make the single window for data exchange mandatory in ports around the world, marking a significant step in the acceleration of digitalization in shipping.  The amendments adopted by resolution FAL.14(46) on 13 May 2022 enter into force on 1 January 2024.

The amendments update the provisions of the FAL Convention on mandatory electronic data exchange in ports for ship clearance. The amendments to the annex of the FAL Convention will make it mandatory for public authorities to establish, maintain and use single window (SW) systems for the electronic exchange of information required on arrival, stay and departure of ships in ports. In addition, public authorities will have to combine or coordinate the electronic transmission of the data to ensure that information is submitted or provided only once and re-used to the maximum extent possible.

Guidelines for setting up a maritime single window (FAL.5/Circ.42/Rev.3) The single window environment as set out in the FAL Convention should be implemented based on these Guidelines.

The Guidelines offer guidance to public authorities or Administrations responsible for developing or modifying environments for a Maritime Single Window (MSW) and Contracting Governments that encourage the introduction of MSW environments to the public authorities, etc.

See guidelines  Here

The 9th session of the IMO Sub-Committee on Carriage of Cargoes and Containers (CCC 9) was held from 20 to 29 September 2023. CCC 9 continued work on interim guidelines for use of ammonia and hydrogen as fuel, finalized amendments for the IGF Code, and discussed amendments to the IGC Code for gas carriers and the IMSBC and IMDG Codes on dangerous cargoes.

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What is the “maritime single window” and how is it implemented? A new free-to-access e-learning course has been launched on IMO’s e-learning platform to explain. From 1 January 2024, it will be mandatory under the FAL Convention for ports around the world to enable the provision of all the information required on ships’ arrival at a port, their stay and their departure to a "single window". The idea of a single-entry point is to avoid duplication in the submission of data, and to maximise the efficiency of maritime and port administrative procedures.

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