Saudi Arabia Meets New Director General of IMSO

On the 24th of April 2023 Alternate Permanent Representative Ms. Hayat AlYabis met with Director General Laurent Parenté in the first official bilateral engagement since his election. In the meeting, Ms Hayat Al Yabis reaffirmed the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s support for IMSO.

The meeting covered important topics such as the implementation of capacity building projects, inter-organisational relations, and the strategic direction of IMSO.

The newly elected Director General intends to see how technical cooperation can take place within IMSO, following the successes of the Technical Cooperation Division and Department for Partnerships and Projects within the IMO. This connects with the Kingdoms ambitions to strengthen cooperation and look to the safety of seafarers within the IMO.

The IMSO (International Mobile Satellite Organisation) is in charge of overseeing and regulating the global mobile satellite communications system, known as the Global Maritime Distress and Safety System (GMDSS).

Director General Parenté thanked the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia for its previous support for the Long-Range Identification and Tracking of Ships implementation project for Small Island Developing States.’

Saudi Arabia has stated its intentions to be re-elected to the council in category C so they can further push the important issues of Climate, Cooperation and Seafarers within the IMO.