IMO Holds Regional Workshop in Lima to Strengthen Safety of Navigation

The International Maritime Organization (IMO) held a regional workshop in Lima, Peru, from October 26 to 30, aimed at strengthening knowledge of ships' routeing systems and ship reporting. The event was organized by IMO together with the Maritime Authority of Peru, through the General Directorate of Captaincies and Coast Guard (DICAPI), and Spain's Centro Jovellanos.

The program addressed the principles, design criteria and procedures for establishing these measures, based on the General Provisions on Ships' Routeing and regulations V/10 and V/11 of the SOLAS Convention. The measures covered included traffic separation schemes, two-way routes, precautionary areas, areas to be avoided and deep-water routes, all aimed at organizing ship traffic, reducing the risk of collisions and groundings, and protecting the marine environment.

Participants received guidance on preparing proposals to be submitted to IMO's Sub-Committee on Navigation, Communications and Search and Rescue (NCSR), as well as information on the process for evaluating these initiatives before they can be considered for adoption by the Maritime Safety Committee (MSC).

IMO noted that increased shipping traffic and the persistence of navigational hazards in certain areas may require the implementation of new measures or the revision of existing ones, which is why the workshop sought to inform coastal States of the benefits of updating these systems. In the case of Peru, the country operates the PERUREP reporting system, through which vessels entering or leaving Peruvian waters report their position and intentions to the maritime authority, while DICAPI's Coast Guard Operations Command uses Automatic Identification System data to control maritime traffic and ensure safety of navigation.

IMO is the United Nations specialized agency responsible for the safety and security of shipping and the prevention of pollution from ships, with 176 Member States. Spain's Centro Jovellanos is a maritime safety training center covering maritime, port and industrial safety, emergency training, and marine pollution response.