IMO-Republic of Korea SMART-C programme boost

Agreements signed to formally establish and boost the IMO-Republic of Korea Sustainable Maritime Transport Cooperation (SMART-C) Programme.

IMO and the Republic of Korea have signed a suite of agreements to formally establish and boost the IMO-Republic of Korea Sustainable Maritime Transport Cooperation (SMART-C) Programme.

The goal of the KRW 25.5 billion (approx. US$20 million) SMART-C Programme is to promote sustainable maritime transport systems and a sustainable marine environment, by building knowledge and developing technical capacity in developing countries via long-term thematic projects.

This Official Development Assistance (ODA) funding will ensure long-term programming of several technical cooperation projects under a SMART-C Framework Agreement signed on 28 November. Two more project-specific agreements were also signed under this Framework Agreement, namely: SMART-C Leaders project agreement; and SMART-C GHG project agreement. Three Projects were already initiated under the SMART-C programme, namely SMART-C Women, SMART-C Traffic and RegLitter.

The agreements were signed by IMO Secretary-General Kitack Lim and the Minister of Oceans and Fisheries of the Republic of Korea, Mr. Seung-hwan Cho (for the framework agreement) and the Director General of the Maritime Affairs and Safety Policy Bureau, Mr. Jonguk Hong, for the other agreements. The signing took place as IMO meets for its 33rd Assembly (A 33).

SMART-C Framework Agreement – The Framework Agreement formally establishes the IMO-Republic of Korea Sustainable Maritime Transport Cooperation (SMART-C) Programme.

SMART-C Leaders – Capacity-building on Implementation of IMO Conventions and Professional Training for International Maritime Leaders (2023-2027). The goal of the project is to improve the Pacific SIDS' capacity in ship inspection/Port State Control (PSC)/Flag State Inspection (FSI) and help the country's implementation of the corrective action plan (CAP) established after its audit under the IMO Member State Audit Scheme (IMSAS).

SMART-C GHG – Capacity building in two Asian pilot countries for developing National Action Plans and implementation of the IMO GHG Strategy with the help of GHG Emission Data from Maritime Sector (2023-2027). This project aims at the implementation of the maritime GHG reduction regulations by building relevant capacity for baseline emission data collection, management, and analysis, in accordance with the 2023 IMO GHG Strategy.

Projects already initiated under the SMART-C programme include:

SMART-C Women – Strengthening Women's Competencies in the Sustainable Maritime Transport Sector through upgrading skills related to Maritime Digitalization and Marine Environmental Protection (2023-2026). The goal of the project is to contribute to the achievement of gender equality through the increase of employment opportunities for women in the maritime sector in developing countries, in the Asia and Pacific regions, and the provision of training to help them advance their careers in related industries. Specifically, the project will provide female officials in beneficiary countries with online and in-person training that will strengthen their competencies in environmental and digital technologies to prepare them for the emerging opportunities within the maritime sector, while also supporting them to acquire new educational qualifications through fellowships at the World Maritime University (WMU).

RegLitter – Regional Litter Project (2023-2027). The objective of the project is to prevent and reduce marine plastic litter from sea-based sources. It will build on the work implemented under the GloLitter Partnerships Project with further expansion of the activities in Asia and possibly other regions in future.

SMART-C Traffic – Development of a SMART-Maritime Traffic Management System and Improvement of Related Operational Capability in a Pilot Developing Country (the Philippines) (2023-2026). The goal of the project is to develop, operate and pilot trial a web-based e-Navigation service that can efficiently analyse and manage maritime safety information in an internet-based environment.

IMO's Department for Partnerships and Projects will be coordinating the implementation of the projects, in close cooperation with IMO's Technical Cooperation Division and with technical backstopping from Marine Environment Division, Maritime Safety Division and Legal Division.