BAKU, Azerbaijan, June 23. The International Maritime Organization (IMO) is focusing its attention this year on supporting the development of maritime transport in Turkmenistan, a source in the IMO told Trend.
The representative of the organization noted that IMO's support for the development of maritime transport is also taking place in the neighboring coastal states of the Caspian Sea by building institutional capacity.
"The aim is to establish and further strengthen maritime administrations to enable them to effectively discharge their overall responsibilities as flag, port, and coastal states. Deepening cooperation and collaboration with member states is a top priority for the IMO. We stand ready to assist Turkmenistan when we are approached for specific maritime needs or a needs assessment," the source said.
It was noted that IMO carries out regional workshops as needed and is able to respond to specific requests for training assistance submitted by a country.
"We also have online learning courses and IMO Model Courses that are available to all member countries. Two IMO fellowships have been granted to students from Turkmenistan to attend maritime training institutions, including the World Maritime University (WMU) and the Institute for Teaching and Port Research (IPER)," the representative added.
Meanwhile, the International Maritime Organization (IMO) is a specialized UN agency dealing with the regulation of international shipping, with the main task of developing and approving international standards and regulations in the fields of maritime safety, protection of the marine environment, and prevention of marine pollution, as well as regulating issues related to the efficiency of transportation and the rights of seafarers.
IMO also coordinates and supports cooperation between member states in these areas and conducts research and training aimed at improving the safety and environmental sustainability of maritime transport.
Moreover, the IMO approved Turkmenistan's accession to the International Convention on Civil Liability for Bunker Oil Pollution Damage (BUNKER-2001) in early February. This convention entered into force for Turkmenistan on April 23 of this year.