MEPSEAS Project Event on Viet Nam's Seas

Under the Marine Environment Protection of the South-East Asian Seas (MEPSEAS) project, a first national training course in Hai Phong, Viet Nam (3-7 June) is dealing with legal implementation of the Ballast Water Management (BWM) and Anti-Fouling Systems (AFS) conventions.

MEPSEAS project is run by the International Maritime Organization (IMO). It  is supporting Viet Nam in its work to apply two IMO treaties aimed at protecting the marine environment.

Participants are key personnel involved in developing national policies and drafting national regulation. They are being trained on developing the legal, policy and institutional framework to implement the priority conventions the country has chosen under the MEPSEAS project.

The workshop follows the regional train-the-train workshop held in Singapore at the end of May. It is being delivered by a team of international and national experts, and includes hands-on training on drafting regulations using templates and models developed by IMO.

The event is being run in partnership with the Viet Nam Maritime Administration (VINAMARINE).

MEPSEAS is assisting participating developing countries address high-priority marine environment issues related to ships and shipping - in particular, implementing four of IMO's key international environmental conventions.

South-East Asia is dominated by the sea. With extensive coastlines and about 30% of the world's sea space under their jurisdictions, the countries of the ASEAN region have a vital influence on the health of the oceans.