Finland publishes policies on meeting IMO obligations concerning maritime administration

The Ministry of Transport and Communications has published Finland’s policies on procedures for enforcing the mandatory obligations of the International Maritime Organization (IMO) and for ensuring the compliance of the maritime administration. The policies are part of the preparations for the IMO audit.

IMO has audited more than half of its Member States. The audit of Finland will take place in October 2024. Through its audit scheme, IMO aims to ensure that Member States meet their international obligations and develop their maritime administration.

IMO recommends that its Member States draw up policies on procedures for ensuring the national approval and enforcement of mandatory obligations and the compliance of maritime administration. 

The Ministry of Transport and Communications has set up a working group to prepare for and coordinate the audit. The group members represent different sectors of the maritime administration. In addition to the policies, the working group has drawn up an extensive material package on maritime administration to support the auditing process. The group has also reviewed the previous observations of IMO and national audits in accordance with the policies. 

Finland’s policies were drafted in cooperation with the ministries and authorities with maritime responsibilities related to IMO auditing.

The currently published policies: 

• describe the organisation and procedures for ensuring that Finland meets its maritime administration responsibilities and obligations;
• define procedures for monitoring and measuring the enforcement and implementation of international regulation; and
• describe how the effectiveness and suitability of the policies are monitored, maintained and improved in order for the authorities to achieve the necessary level of flag, port and coastal state duties.

The policies also support the cooperation between operators in maritime administration and the continuous improvement of their operations.

Next steps

The audit of Finland will be on 14–21 October 2024.

The national contact person with IMO will be Hanna Suutarla from the Ministry of Transport and Communications.

Inquiries:

Anne Miettinen, Senior Ministerial Adviser, tel. +358 295 342394, [email protected]