Baku, November 25 (AZERTAC). The 28th session of the International Maritime Organization (IMO) has started in London.

A delegation led by the Chief of State Maritime Administration of Azerbaijan Republic Gudrat Gurbanov is expected to meet heads of several administrations as part of the session.

According to the Administration, the Assembly is to adopt the IMO Instruments Implementation Code (III Code), which provides a global standard to enable States to meet their obligations as flag, port and/or coastal States; the Framework and Procedures for the IMO Member State Audit Scheme; the 2013 non-exhaustive list of obligations under instruments relevant to the III Code; and a resolution on transitional arrangements.

The Assembly is also expected to adopt amendments to the International Convention on Load Lines, 1966; the International Convention on Tonnage Measurement of Ships, 1969; and the Convention on the International Regulations for Preventing Collisions at Sea, 1972, as amended, to make the III Code and auditing of its provisions and those of those Conventions mandatory. The Assembly will review the work carried out by the Organization during the biennium 2012 to 2013. A number of draft resolutions have been submitted by the various IMO Committees for adoption by the Assembly, which will also consider, for adoption, any resolutions submitted by the Council’s 27th Extraordinary Session.

The Assembly normally meets once every two years in regular session. It is responsible for approving the work programme, voting the budget and determining the financial arrangements of the Organization. It also elects the Organization’s 40-Member Council.