GOALS AND ACTIONS

1. SAFETY CULTURE AND ENVIRONMENTAL STEWARDSHIP

Background – In order to carry world trade in a safe,
reliable and efficient manner, maritime transport requires
a global regulatory framework, based on IMO’s multitude
of conventions covering all aspects of international
shipping. That framework promotes safety, maximizes
energy efficiency and resource conservation and
minimizes pollution, while enabling seamless and reliable
maritime transport around the world. To achieve this,
each actor within the Maritime Transportation System
must operate in a responsible manner, adhering to best
practices and applying them, from the ship’s design
stage, through all phases of operation, to its ultimate
disposal for recycling at the end of its useful life. A
culture of safety and environmental stewardship should
be promoted and embodied in activities of all actors to
ensure the sustainability of the Maritime Transportation
System is maintained.
Goal 1 – A Sustainable Maritime Transportation System
must promote a safety culture, fostered through global
standards and their rigorous enforcement. These global
standards should ensure a “level playing field”, but
the safety culture should go beyond mere regulatory
compliance and deliver added value for the System
through the promotion of safety.
Goal 2 – A Sustainable Maritime Transportation System
must minimize the environmental impact of shipping
and activities of maritime industries. Environmental
stewardship should be reflected in the development
and implementation of global standards for pollution
prevention and protection of the marine environment.

IMO regulates all aspects of international shipping and

the 53 treaty instruments currently in force (including
SOLAS and MARPOL, the principal conventions on
safety and marine pollution), supported by hundreds
of codes and guidelines, covering the entire lifespan of
commercial ships, from cradle to grave.

IMO’s Partners – Actors in the Maritime Transportation

System.

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