12 | Seaways | August 2019 Read Seaways online at http://www.nautinst.org/seaways
Supporting the
seafarer in a changing
world
A
s an ex-seafarer – although he’s the first to
admit that it was some time since he was at
sea – Mr Lim is clearly passionate about the
IMO, the sea and seafarers. ‘I might have
stopped being a seafarer a long time ago, but I have
kept up with the sentiments of being on board,’ he
said. ‘I have anyway been engaged long term in the
maritime industry and maintain a realistic approach
to it.’
However, he is very aware that things have changed
since he was at sea himself. ‘Today’s seafarers are
working with a different culture from when I was
at sea. It is hard to deal with. The structure of the
industry has changed. Many shipping companies
don’t deal with technical issues themselves. They
have delegated these to shipmanagers. Shipowners
who do this don’t have a psychological link with
seafarers. They rely on the shipmanagers. The unique
link that existed between shipowners and seafarers has
been broken.’On the ground
Several times during the exchange he said how he
was keen to know how seafarers feel about IMO
conventions, commenting: ‘I really hope they feel
they are benefiting from IMO conventions and
not just regarding them as a burden.’ However, he
admitted that IMO conventions are getting more and
more complicated.
The Secretary General says he has never heard
directly from a large group of seafarers and he
declared: ‘I want to learn from seafarers.’ He feels the
best way for him to get views is through a survey. ‘I
have never had a survey of seafarers and I would like
one,’ he said, adding that this could be undertaken by
NI. ‘From time to time I do engage with seafarers but
need to know how they feel about IMO and what they
are talking about,’ he added with feeling.
Next year, of course, we will be polling members in
our President’s Questionnaire in preparation for the
next strategic plan to run until 2025. This will give an
opportunity for you to make your views clear. We will
then pass them on to IMO.The NI and the IMO
Mr Lim first came across The Nautical Institute in
1990 when he saw Seaways in the library at the World
Maritime University (WMU). He says he has enjoyed
reading it, and subsequently The Navigator, ever since.Declaring himself ‘passionate’ about the human
element, he said that the NI has a role to play in the
development of the topic at IMO. This is reflected in
the NI’s role in the Human Element Industry Group
at IMO, which CEO Captain John Lloyd FNI chairs.
‘I want us to work together concentratedly to
campaign for two to three years to try to help seafarers
avoid collisions and serious accidents,’ he said. ‘We
need to concentrate on the human element and put
more attention and more effort into this.’
In highlighting operational mistakes that can lead
to accidents and incidents at sea, the NI works hard
to get its free MARS service and Seaways articles in
front of as many as possible in the industry. Mr Lim
acknowledged this, commenting that the NI ‘is
composed of maritime experts’ who can look at
incidents and set out lessons.Feature: Supporting the seafarer in a changing world
Kitak Lim, Secretary
General of the IMO,
invited The Nautical
Institute’s Bridget
Hogan to to discuss
the Institute’s role
in the international
forum. The exchange
included praise for
projects such as
The Navigator, and
a determination to
learn from seafarers
about how the IMO
affects them.
I want us to work together
concentratedly to campaign for
two to three years to try to help
seafarers avoid collisions and
serious accidents
In addition to the human element, future topics
Mr Lim wanted to promote included aids to
navigation, pilotage, piracy in the Gulf of Guinea
and mental health – although on this last one he said
initiatives by the International Labor Organization
needed to be considered.
Climate change is another key issue to promote,
particularly in light of the sulphur regulations coming
into force in 2020. For the future new fuel types
will be needed for ships, which will affect the way
in which they are designed and operated. Mr Lim is
particularly concerned about the vulnerability of Polar
waters as traffic in these areas continues to increase.
He pointed out that the IMO is now an observer at
the Arctic Council and has developed the Polar Code,
where the NI was able to give key input.
Turning to the topic of misdeclared containers, he
said this was a matter for the International Maritime
Dangerous Goods (IMDG) Code, which countries
need to implement – starting from the factory. This