London | 3 November 2015
A report by the Chair of the Business, Professions and Government Division of the Chartered Institute of Linguists, Judith Ridgway, published in the Institute’s Journal “The Linguist”
How many of us realise that the majority of the things which we own, touch and buy arrive in the UK by sea? And how many are aware that maritime regulations for commercial shipping are controlled by the prestigious International Maritime Organization, based in London, overlooking the Thames?
Thanks to BPG committee member Rodney Mantle’s links with the Twickenham and Richmond Branch of the United Nations Association TRUNA), 24 members of the Division were privileged to visit the IMO headquarters on 3rd November 2015.
Established in 1959, when the need for universal standards in shipping and the protection of the marine environment was recognised, the IMO now employs around 300 staff of 50 nationalities and has 171 member States and three Associate Members. Even landlocked countries like Zambia, the most recent member, are dependent on goods transported by sea – indeed nearly 90% of world trade is carried by sea, so shipping underpins the global economy. Standards and guidelines are set, including for safety and security on board ship, response to accidents, recycling of ships and pollution, and member states are expected to monitor practice to ensure that these standards are being adhered to. Increasingly, too, there are security concerns over piracy and terrorism. Many of the issues dealt with are extremely complex. Security plans for shipping, for example, raise questions of liability regarding on-board armed guards, and conventions on pollution have to recognise that 80% of marine pollution originates from the land and that micro-organisms are transferred around the world in the ballast water of ships. And then there is the issue of human error, which cannot simply be accepted – there has to be assessment of what causes it.
Even before the tour started, one IMO-trained CIoL visitor regaled those waiting with tales of his life in merchant shipping, including being on a ship which struck an iceberg. His accounts proved an excellent introduction to IMO’s motto: “Safe, secure and efficient shipping in clean oceans.”
Although technical repairs were in progress in the Main Hall, our guide Tamara Vassilissin took us there first. It is where the IMO plenaries take place – a kind of mini-UN General Assembly. The CIoL visitors were clearly absorbed by her explanations of the practicalities of running IMO meetings. Exceptionally, later we were even allowed access to the interpreters’ booths, normally not part of tours.
The next highpoint was a DVD, followed by a presentation by Natasha Brown, Media and Communications Officer, Public Information Services, on the IMO’s complex and varied work, ranging from legal matters to pollution.
This was linked with a short talk by Hilary Evans of TRUNA about the UNA, including the distribution of UNA information materials, as well as a document prepared by Rodney Mantle on Translating and Interpreting at the UN.
The tour was rounded off by a visit to the Maritime Knowledge Centre, introduced by Sharon Grant. It houses a wide variety of information on maritime activities and is much used by researchers from many countries.
The cafeteria (and the view of the Thames and the Houses of Parliament) was appreciated by all, and many stopped on the way out to study the numerous, international maritime exhibits IMO has accumulated over the years.
This was a visit which would not have been able to take place without Rodney Mantle’s intervention, and thanks are expressed to him together with the IMO and UNA colleagues who made the visit so enjoyable.