SECURITY ISSUES TOP IMO LEGAL COMMITTEE AGENDA

SECURITY ISSUES TOP IMO LEGAL COMMITTEE AGENDA    The International Maritime Organization will continue its work to review and overhaul the international regulatory framework relating to maritime security this week when the organization's Legal Committee meets in London.
   The Legal Committee will review the 1988 Convention for the Suppression of Unlawful Acts Against the Safety of Maritime Navigation, or the SUA Convention, and its related protocol, at the meetings, scheduled through Friday.
   The committee will also consider a comparison made by the United States between the SUA Convention and the more recent United Nations International Convention for the Suppression of Terrorist Bombings, or STB Convention, and will discuss proposals to incorporate additional offenses into the SUA Convention.
   At the request of the Maritime Safety Committee's Intersessional Working Group (ISWG) on Maritime Security, which met in February, the Legal Committee will also consider how best to define the terms 'ownership' and 'control' of ships in the context of maritime security. The ISWG had agreed that transparency of ownership and control of the ship was desirable, considering that many IMO instruments place responsibilities with the shipowner. The committee is expected to develop guidelines on disclosure of information related to ownership and control of ships consistent with the preservation of rights, which ensure the continued efficiency of commercial navigation.
   Besides terrorism and maritime security, the committee is also expected to examine a draft protocol to establish a voluntary third tier of compensation for oil pollution victims, supplementary to the International Oil Pollution Compensation Fund Convention of 1992. The committee must approve the draft protocol before it can be considered by a diplomatic conference in 2003.
   Other issues include issues relating to the legal framework surrounding IMO's work on places of refugee, the continuation of work towards a draft convention of wreck removal and further steps to ensure prompt implementation of the HNS Convention, which links compensatory regime for pollution damage at sea.