Turkmenistan is stepping up progress towards accession to the Convention on Facilitation of International Maritime Traffic (FAL), with IMO's support.
The FAL Convention is a global treaty aimed at achieving the most efficient international maritime transport as possible, with smooth transit in ports of ships, cargo and passengers. The treaty contains standards, rules and recommended practices to simplify procedures involved in the arrival, stay and departure of ships at a port.
A national seminar on Facilitation of Maritime Traffic (1-3 October) was held in Awaza, Turkmenbashi in Turkmenistan. The port of Turkmenbashi is the country's largest cargo and passenger port, and a regional maritime hub with an annual total capacity of 17 million tons of cargo, including 300,000 passengers and 75,000 vehicles.
Organized at the request of the Government, the seminar brought together national ministries and agencies with responsibilities for the clearance of ships, cargoes, crews, and passengers at the port of Turkmenbashi. The seminar provided important information and advice on the latest amendments to the FAL Convention, which entered into force on 1 January 2024.
This includes regulations on the use of 'Maritime Single Window' systems, which is now required of all IMO Member States. The maritime single window is a one-stop digital platform through which various agencies can share and exchange information needed to clear the arrival, stay and departure of ships quickly and efficiently.
The seminar participants benefitted from guidance on the benefits of using Maritime Single Window and Electronic Data Interchange in facilitating ships' clearance in Turkmenistan's ports. This would become mandatory upon accession to the FAL Convention.
The event was organized under IMO's Integrated Technical Cooperation Programme and hosted by the Maritime and River Transport Agency of Turkmenistan.
