Liberia Permanent Mission To IMO Participates In ASEF Forum In Istanbul 

By Marie Willie 

MONROVIA, Oct, 22 (LINA) The Liberian delegation from the Permanent Mission in London, UK, led by Permanent Representative Ambassador Robert Wilmot Kpadehon October 22, 2024 participated in a One Day Forum organized by the Active Shipbuilding Experts’ Federation (ASEF) held in Istanbul, Turkey.

According to a statement from the official Facebook of Mr.Robert Wilmot Kpadeh dated October 22, 2024, the Forum brought together ship builders from across Asia and Europe, shipping companies, industry leaders and regulators as well as state diplomats, amongst others.

The release added that issues discussed during the One Day forum included the building and modelling of new ships that will be powered by alternative fuel like hydrogen, ammonia, biomass, Green House Gas (GHG) emitted by vessels, Environmental Protection, Blue Economy, amongst others.

On the margins of the forum, the statement revealed that the Liberian delegation briefly met and held talks with H.E. Durmus Unuvar, Deputy Minister for Transport and Infrastructure of the Republic of Turkey, citing that talks centered on mutual cooperation, support to Liberia's re-election bid to retain its Council seat at the IMO and technical support. 

According to the release, Ambassador Robert Kpadeh asked for the support of Turkey for Liberia’s bid to retain its seat on the International Maritime Organization (IMO) Council, as the country prepares to recontest to retain its seat in the 2025 Council Election in London.

The statement added that Ambassador Kpadeh also encouraged ship owners of Turkey to consider registering their vessels under the Liberian flag, stating that the Liberian Ship registry is the best in the world in terms of meeting industry standards and adhering to IMO and other international shipping laws and regulations.

Ambassador Kpadeh described the reception from Turkish officials and ship owners as warm and generous. He expressed optimism towards a greater relationship between Liberia and Turkey from the Maritime perspective.

At the level of the IMO, Liberia and Turkey have consummated a solid relationship that often sees the two countries support each other on significant international shipping concerns. Turkey is one of the largest builders of commercial transport ship and luxury yachts in the world behind countries like China, Japan and South Korea. 

For his part, the statement quoted Minister Unuvar as welcoming the Liberian delegation to Turkey and stated that Turkey is ready and willing to cooperate with Liberia on every aspect of international shipping.

He described Liberia as a friendly nation that has distinguished itself in international shipping, and its Ship Registry is quite an enviable program and further plans to deepen talks between the two countries on maritime cooperation.

As a mark of friendship and in the spirit of mutual cooperation, the Liberian Permanent Representative presented to Minister Durmus the famous Liberia flag scarf, something the Turkish official received with profound thanks and appreciation, as he stated, the scarf was a valuable gift and would always remind him of Liberia.

At the same time, Liberia Alternative Permanent Representative Dr. Harry Conway, who was part of the Liberian delegation, made a brief presentation at the Forum on the theme: "The Critical Role of Ship builders to Decarbonizing International Shipping: A Case of IMO 2023 GHG Strategy". He told the forum that the success of decarbonizing International Shipping rest on the backs of ship builders as they are charged with the crucial task of building and remodeling ships to conform with IMO regulations on decarbonization in light of the ambitious goal of zero emissions by 2050.

The release noted that the Liberian delegation is expected to meet the Turkish Chamber of Ship owners on Wednesday October 23, 2924 to talk about possible Turkish investment into Liberia's nascent "Blue Economy".

Ambassador Kpadeh, according to the dispatch, asserted that the move is intended to encourage Turkish ship owners to consider investing into Liberia's blue economy, as the country’s vast water resources offer huge investment opportunities, something that is potentially vital to job creation and economic growth, the dispatch concluded.