Important Links
International Maritime Health Association
The International Maritime Health Association IMHA focuses on maritime health and safety with the objective to improve the quality of health of seafarers, fishermen, and port workers. The IMHA was founded on June 17, 1997, during the 4th ISMH in Oslo, Norway. IMHA develops standards aim to improve the maritime health practices internationally, coordinating with national maritime authorities, the maritime industry, unions, and other international organizations.
EU Healthy Gateways
https://www.healthygateways.eu/
The HEALTHY GATEWAYS joint action arose from joining together two consortiums (SHIPSAN and AIRSAN) established from the implementation of previously funded projects under the Health Programme.
The general objective of the Joint Action is to support cooperation and coordination between EU MS in order to improve their capacities at points of entry (PoE) – including ports, airports and ground crossings – in preventing and combating cross-border health threats affecting or inherently coming from the transport sector, and therefore contributing to a high level of public health protection in the European Union (EU).
In the case of public health emergencies of international concern (PHEIC), the Joint Action will move from the inter-epidemic mode to an emergency mode, with the objective to support the coherent response of EU MS according to Decision No 1082/2013/EU and implementation of temporary recommendations issued by the WHO according to the International Health Regulations (IHR).
The EU HEALTHY GATEWAYS General Assembly decided in March 2022 the continuation of certain activities after the end of the joint action i.e. after 1st of May 2022. One of these activities is the continuation of the e-Newsletter publication. info@healthygateways.eu
International Maritime Organization
IMO – the International Maritime Organization – is the United Nations specialized agency with responsibility for the safety and security of shipping and the prevention of marine and atmospheric pollution by ships. IMO’s work supports the UN sustainable development goals.
World Health Organization
The World Health Organization (WHO) is a specialized agency of the United Nations responsible for international public health.It is headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland and has six regional offices and 150 field offices worldwide.
The WHO’s official mandate is to promote health and safety while helping the vulnerable worldwide. It provides technical assistance to countries, sets international health standards, collects data on global health issues, and serves as a forum for scientific or policy discussions related to health.Its official publication, the World Health Report, provides assessments of worldwide health topics.
International Labour Organization
The International Labour Organization (ILO) is a United Nations agency whose mandate is to advance social and economic justice by setting international labour standards. It is the only tripartite U.N. agency, since 1919 the ILO brings together governments, employers and workers of 187 Member States , to set labour standards, develop policies and devise programmes promoting decent work for all women and men.
Centers for Diseases Control and Prevention
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is the national public health agency of the United States. It is a United States federal agency under the Department of Health and Human Services, and is headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia.
The agency’s main goal is the protection of public health and safety through the control and prevention of disease, injury, and disability in the US and worldwide. The CDC focuses national attention on developing and applying disease control and prevention. It especially focuses its attention on infectious disease, food borne pathogens, environmental health, occupational safety and health, health promotion, injury prevention, and educational activities designed to improve the health of United States citizens. The CDC also conducts research and provides information on non-infectious diseases, such as obesity and diabetes, and is a founding member of the International Association of National Public Health Institutes.
EU Centre for Diseases Control
The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) is an agency of the European Union (EU) whose mission is to strengthen Europe’s defences against infectious diseases.[2] It covers a wide spectrum of activities, such as: surveillance, epidemic intelligence, response, scientific advice, microbiology, preparedness, public health training, international relations, health communication, and the scientific journal Eurosurveillance.[3] The centre was established in 2004 and is headquartered in Solna, Sweden.
The ECDC is manages key initiatives that focus on surveillance and response support, and public health capacity and communication,[citation needed] while the office of the Chief Scientist oversees the Microbiology Coordination Section and the Scientific Advice Coordination Section, along with seven Disease Programmes.
International Transport Workers Federation
The International Transport Workers’ Federation (ITF) is a democratic, affiliate-led federation recognised as the world’s leading transport authority. ITF fights passionately to improve working lives, connecting 740 affiliated trade unions from over 150 countries that may otherwise be isolated and helping their members to secure rights, equality and justice. ITF is the voice for nearly 18.5 million working men and women across the world.
ITF headquarters is located in London with offices in Abidjan, Amman, Geneva, Hong Kong, Montreal, Nairobi, New Delhi, Panama, Rio de Janeiro, Singapore, Sydney and Tokyo.
ISWAN
https://www.seafarerswelfare.org/
The International Seafarers’ Welfare and Assistance Network (ISWAN) is an international maritime charity which works to improve the lives of seafarers and their families with services, resources, strategies and advocacy.
ISWAN operates SeafarerHelp – the number one free, confidential, 24/7/365, multilingual helpline providing help and support to seafarers and their families around the world. https://www.seafarerswelfare.org/our-work/seafarerhelp
For professional yacht crew, ISWAN operates the free, 24-hour helpline Yacht Crew Help. www.yachtcrewhelp.org
Seafarers can also access free health resources on our website and the ISWAN for Seafarers app, including self-help mental health guides and guidance on topics like healthy eating, keeping fit on board and safe travel.
ISWAN provides Maritime Mental Health Awareness training, offering both in-house trainings for companies and open access sessions for individuals or smaller groups.
BIMCO
BIMCO is the world’s largest international shipping association, with over 2,000 members in around 130 countries, representing 62% of the world’s tonnage. Their global membership includes shipowners, operators, managers, brokers, and agents. BIMCO is a non-profit organisation.
BIMCO’s four core service areas provide value and trusted support to their members:
1) BIMCO’s world leading standard contracts and clauses for the shipping industry and our innovative contract editor SmartCon. BIMCOe also runs the BIMCO Shipping KPI System which can be used to benchmark ships’ operational performance.
2) BIMCO takes an active role on behalf of shipowners during discussions and decisions with global and regional regulators. BIMCO works towards a level playing field for shipping – including fair trade and open access to markets.
3) BIMCO deals with 10,000 member queries every year on many issues and see over three million page views on our website each year. Our staff share their expert knowledge with members, giving practical advice to safeguard and add value to their businesses.
4) Their training activities include face-to-face courses, webinars and tailor-made courses for companies.
International Chamber of Shipping
ICS is the global trade association for shipowners and operators, representing the world’s national shipowner associations and over 80 % of the world merchant fleet.
ICS has members from around 40 countries. Our membership comprises national shipowners’ associations, through which structure ICS uniquely and legitimately speaks for and represents the significant majority of international shipping. Our national member associations represent shipping companies from all sectors of the shipowner community. These include dry bulk carriers, oil tankers, chemical tankers, gas carriers, container ships, general cargo ships, offshore support vessels, and passenger ships.
ICS was established in 1921 to ensure the development, promotion, and application of best practices throughout the shipping industry. ICS continues to support shipping and be the leading advocate for high operational standards and a regulatory environment embracing safety, environment, open markets and fair competition.
As the collective voice of the international shipping industry, ICS articulates and advocates shipowner positions to international regulators International Maritime Organization and International Labour Organization as well as to other government regulators and relevant stakeholders. ICS aims to positively influence regulatory changes while maintaining high standards of quality, safety and environmental protection.
ICS is an international, independent, not-for-profit London-based trade association. It is managed by its secretariat for the benefit of national shipowner associations and their members.