Friday, November 29th 2019

Information for the Press N°: 440/19

 

The Argentine Republic was elected as member of the Council of the International Maritime Organization today in London. This election is an acknowledgement by the international community of Argentina's work in the organization and its contribution to navigation safety and the preservation of the marine environment.

The International Maritime Organization's work is very important for Argentina. Rules on maritime transport, which are crucial for Argentina's foreign trade, are discussed and drafted there. For instance, the organization sets rules related to the controls performed on foreign vessels that arrive at Argentine ports, within the context of Argentina's exercise of its powers of Port State Control of Vessels. In addition, IMO regulates maritime search and rescue (SAR) activities, a fundamentally important issue for Argentina given that it covers an area that reaches the middle of the Atlantic Ocean (approximately 14 million square kilometres), in addition to the areas adjacent to Antarctica, which are monitored with Chile's cooperation. Many other activities undertaken by the Argentine Maritime Administration along with its competent bodies are regulated by IMO.

 The Argentine Republic expresses its gratitude to all the countries that entrusted it with this responsibility and reaffirms its unwavering commitment to the international community to contribute to navigation safety and the environmental sustainability of activities undertaken at sea.