The Bahamas Reelected to the IMO Council

The General Assembly of the International Maritime Organization was held Monday, November 27th -Friday, December 1, 2023, at the IMO headquarters, in London. During the Assembly, The Bahamas was re-elected to the Council of IMO. The Council is the executive organ of IMO and is responsible, under the Assembly, for supervising the work of the Organization. The Council is made up of 40 Member States, elected by the Assembly for two-year terms. There are 10 states, that make up Category A, ten states that make up Category B and twenty states that make up Category C.

The Honourable Zane Lightbourne, Minister of State for the Environment and Natural Resources headed The Bahamas’ delegation at the 33rd Regular Session of the Assembly of the IMO. His Excellency Paul Rolle, who serves as Ambassador and Permanent Representative to the IMO for The Bahamas heads the team in London.

As the eighth largest register of vessels in the world with an excess of 1400 vessels, The Bahamas has consistently been one of the highest-ranked flags with a low-risk factor in the regional port-state MOUs and achieving US Coast Guard QUALSHIP 21.
The Bahamas is a strong supporter of the role of the IMO as the global maritime regulator. The Bahamas consulted and collaborated with all Member States leading up to and including Maritime Environment Protection Committee 80 in July 2023, to adopt the IMO Revised Strategy on the Reduction of Green House Gases (GHG) from International Shipping; I am pleased to report that all of those revisions were approved by the Council.

The Bahamas has also submitted papers for discussion on a wide variety of issues, including the safety of water-mist fire-fighting systems; maintenance and safety of lifeboat launching systems; passenger ship safety; MARPOL record books; and the regulation of ventilation systems of enclosed lifeboats. The Bahamas is also a proponent of gender equality and recognizes the invaluable contribution of women in the maritime sector.

The Bahamas has ratified and respects the legal framework developed by the IMO and has acceded to all of its major international Conventions. The decision by the Government of The Bahamas to appoint its’ first dedicated Permanent Representative to the IMO, in the personng states like ours helping to fund small businesses participating in the industry