Curtas do Bryant´s

DOS – meeting of Contact Group on Piracy

The US Department of State (DOS) issued a news release containing the agreed statement from the Third Plenary Meeting of the Contact Group on Piracy off the Coast of Somalia. The meeting was held in New York on May 29. The parties endorsed the creation of an International Trust Fund to help defray the expenses associated with the prosecution of suspected pirates. During the meeting, representatives from the Bahamas, the Republic of Liberia, the Republic of the Marshall Islands, and the Republic of Panama signed the New York Declaration, an obligation to ensure that vessels of their registry have adopted and documented appropriate self-protection measures in their Ship Security Plans as part of their ISPS Code compliance. (5/29/09). These items were brought to my attention by Will Watson of the International Registries, who represented the Republic of the Marshall Islands at the Contact Group meeting.

EU MSC(HOA) – piracy update

The European Union – Maritime Security Centre – Horn of Africa [EU MSC(HOA)] issued a news release stating that three merchant ships recently came under piratical attack, including for the first time one attack on a ship in the Red Sea. In all three cases, the attacks were unsuccessful due to countermeasures taken by the merchant ships. (6/1/09).

UK – Reducing CO2 and other emissions from shipping

The Environmental Audit Committee of the UK House of Commons issued a report entitled: Reducing CO2 and other emissions from shipping. The report contends that emission of greenhouse gases from shipping is a serious problem for international climate change policy and that little progress has been made at the IMO. The report advocates a unilateral approach by the UK Government, but then points out that it should be technically feasible to establish an international emissions control regime that would accurately charge (or require carbon permits from) each ship according to its actual emissions, and securely enforce and verify compliance. In sum, the report highlights the various possible approaches to air emission control for ships and advocates that something be done soon. The authors, in effect, acknowledge that there are no easy solutions. (6/1/09). Fonte: Dennis Bryant.