The government proposes the establishment of an international maritime aid organization
On September 22, 2022The government presented its proposal to the parliament as a law on the ratification and implementation of the Convention of the International Maritime Assistance Organization at the national level.
The International Association of Marine Aids to Navigation and Lighthouse Authorities (IALA) decided at its general meeting in 2014 that its status will be changed to an official international organization.
IALA has stated that its transformation from a French private law association to an international organization would strengthen the weight of its recommendations. This change in status requires an agreement to be ratified by states in accordance with their own national procedures. Finland signed the convention on June 8, 2021, and the law provides for the ratification of the convention.
IALA’s goal is to improve traffic safety and unify maritime aids. It publishes recommendations, instructions and manuals on navigation aids. In Finland, IALA’s guidelines are applied e.g. for the marking of water bodies. Finland considers its membership important because it means opportunities to influence the preparation of recommendations and guidelines.
IALA was founded in 1957 and Finland joined in 1959. Finland’s main representative is the Finnish Transport Agency.
What next?
The proposal that the government has now submitted to parliament will be debated. The schedule of the debate will be published on the Parliament’s website (forthcoming plenary sessions). After the transfer discussion, the proposal will be sent to the transport and communications committee. When the committee’s report is ready, the issue will be discussed again in the plenary session.
To date, the convention has been ratified or accepted by nine countries. The Convention shall enter into force on the ninetieth day after 30 States have ratified, accepted or accepted it. In Finland, the entry into force of the law is regulated separately by decree. The law would enter into force at the same time as the international convention.
HT
Source: Ministry of Transport and Communications