Malaysia Signs Convention On The International Organisation For Marine Aids To Navigation

KUALA LUMPUR, March 16 (Bernama) -- Malaysia today signed the Convention on the International Organisation for Marine Aids to Navigation. The Ministry of Transport (MOT), in a statement Tuesday night, said Transport Minister Datuk Seri Dr Wee Ka Siong signed the convention in a ceremony held in Putrajaya. The ministry said the convention is a treaty instrument to transition the International Association of Marine Aids to Navigation and Lighthouse Authority (IALA), which is a non-governmental organisation (NGO), into and to be replaced by the International Organisation for Marine Aids to Navigation, which is an Inter-Governmental Organisation (IGO). “This convention is key to advancing IALA’s role with regards to its core objective to enhance the safety and efficiency of maritime navigation by contributing to the improvement and harmonisation of its international action,” the statement said. Also present at the ceremony were Ambassador of France to Malaysia, Roland Galharague, members of the Light Dues Board and Ambassador for Special Representative for Maritime Negotiations, Serge Segura. As a littoral state of the Straits of Malacca, Malaysia’s role in ensuring the safety and efficiency of navigation along the strait is taken very seriously, the MOT said. "The efficiency of maritime transport relies heavily on the Aids to Navigation which enables modern seafarers to transport 90 per cent of the world’s cargo securely, with more than 98,000 vessels moving around the globe every single day," the statement added. MOT said it underscores the importance of the maritime sector as the linchpin of global economy, connecting the world through the shipping of goods and further expanding the economy. As part of the signatory party to the Convention, Malaysia invites all States to also take part in supporting the Convention where it is now open for one year from Jan 27 2021 and will hopefully be ratified and enter into force, thus transforming IALA into IGO status. -- BERNAMA