A workshop on the establishment of a Cambodian Ship Registry has been held in Phnom Penh (February 27 - March 3). It was the final activity of the Marine Environment Protection of the South-East Asian Seas Project (MEPSEAS) which formally concluded at the end of 2022.
As part of a programme of support for Cambodia under MEPSEAS, the country committed to the creation of a register of ships to enable it to fulfil its responsibilities regarding ratification and implementation of IMO conventions pertaining to safety and marine environment protection.
Opening the event, Cambodia's Minister of Public Works and Transport Secretary of State, His Excellency Eang Vengsun, welcomed the assistance provided through MEPSEAS - a collaboration between IMO and the Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation (NORAD). He explained that the project had enabled the development of draft legislation on the proposed ship registry.
Topics discussed include flag and port State legal obligations and a review of relevant IMO conventions. Working groups were held on the benefits of developing relevant policies, how best to structure maritime legislation, and what should be included in the regulations.
The workshop was led by Ms. Dorota Lost-Sieminska, Deputy Director, Legal Affairs Office at IMO; Ms. Birgit Olsen, Legal Consultant to the MEPSEAS Project, assisted by Ms. Brenda Pimentel, Regional Consultant; and Ms. Josephine Uranza, IMO Regional Coordinator. Present virtually were Ms. Tatjana Krilic, IMO Department for Member States Audit and Implementation, and Mr. Ivan Sammut, Registrar General of Shipping and Seamen Malta. The workshop was coordinated by Ms. Elaine Williams, MEPSEAS Project Assistant.
