Accord relatif aux mesures du ressort de l’État du Port (PSMA)

PSMA presented at technical seminar on IMO Cape Town Agreement in Philippines

25/10/2018

An official of the FAO contributed to a three-day technical meeting held in Manila, Philippines, which explored the necessary measures the Philippines needs to put in place in order to address safety and labour conditions of its fishers at sea, and concurrently tackle illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing.

Dr Matthew Camilleri, Head of the FAO’s Fishing Operations and Technology Branch (FIAO), attended the Technical Seminar on the International Maritime Organization (IMO) Cape Town Agreement (CTA), held between the 25 – 26 October 2018, to present the complimentary nature of the Food and Agricultural Organization’s (FAO) Agreement on Port State Measures (PSMA) to the CTA.

As IUU fishing activities are often associated with unsafe vessels and poor labour conditions, Dr Camilleri made the case for concurrently implementing the CTA and the PSMA, highlighting that they provide obvious benefits to one another, and likely lead to improved outcomes overall.

The CTA, a global instrument agreed in 2012, sets provisions on the design, construction and equipment of new, large fishing vessels; calls for harmonized inspections across fisheries, labour, and safety issues; as well as establishes minimum training requirements for crews of seagoing fishing vessels of 24 metres in length and above. The Philippines has not yet ratified the CTA.

The PSMA, an international agreement in force since 2016 and already ratified by 56 Parties including the Philippines, aims to fight IUU fishing through harmonised procedures for permitting foreign fishing vessels to enter into port and land their catch, including specific procedures for inspecting vessels.