Monday, 2nd August 2021
The International Group took an active role at the 108th remote session of the IMO Legal Committee that was held on 26th to 30th July 2021 and welcomed in particular the Committee’s agreement on the draft Unified Interpretation on the shipowner’s right to limit liability under the IMO Conventions.
The Legal Committee's main agenda items included the development of a Unified Interpretation on the shipowner’s right to limit liability under the IMO Conventions, the use fraudulent ship registries, the provision of financial security in case of abandonment of seafarers under the Maritime Labour Convention (MLC) and a proposal from the International Group and other delegations for a 2001 Bunkers Convention claims manual. The Group welcomed the progress made by the Committee on a number of these items, in particular on the Committee’s agreement that the draft Unified Interpretation should now be forwarded to the IMO’s Assembly and Council for agreement and final sign off in December 2021. This will complete a work stream that commenced in 2016 and that was initially taken forward jointly by the International Group and the International Chamber of Shipping (ICS) and where the Group and the ICS have jointly taken a lead role. The International Group has also welcomed the Legal Committee’s agreement to the proposal, co-sponsored by the Group, for a new work output under the Committee’s work programme for the development of a Bunkers Convention claims manual. The International Group will now co-ordinate this work going ahead with a view to submitting a draft claims manual to the next Committee meeting in March 2022.
