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IMO MSC 105 adopted amendments to SOLAS, its Protocol of 1988 and the related IMO instruments to modernize the requirements of the Global Maritime Distress and Safety System (GMDSS). The changes are intended to enable more effective use of the system and remove obsolete requirements.

Several other issues were discussed by the committee. Among them, MSC 105 encouraged Member States to take steps to promote awareness and to develop policies and legislation for the prevention of bullying and harassment on board ships. It also encourages shipping companies to establish internal monitoring and reporting systems and procedures for these issues. The MSC urged States to promote best practices and modern technologies in the training of seafarers.

In a separate issue, the MSC encouraged States to adopt measures to ensure the health and welfare of seafarers on board vessels and in port. This includes establishing a framework for determining the medical needs of seafarers, including mental health and stress issues. In addition, the MSC urged States to improve their national occupational health and safety laws and regulations.

MSC 105 also recommended that the IMO Council adopt the IMOA model courses and associated guidelines to assist instructors in developing training programmes for seafarers in accordance with the International Convention on Standards of Training, Certification and Watchkeeping for Seafarers (STCW). The models are intended to help instructors develop a more holistic approach to STCW-based training by incorporating the full range of competencies required of the seafarer.

The MSC encouraged States to implement a number of IMO-endorsed measures to address the ongoing crisis in Ukraine, including measures for the humanitarian evacuation of seafarers trapped in the conflict area. The MSC also called on IMO and the UN to continue working together to promote international coordination and cooperation in this difficult situation.

On August 28, Eastern Shipbuilding Group christened and launched the Kimberly Hidalgo, an IMO/SOLAS, ABS classed, inland towboat built for Florida Marine Transporters of Mandeville, Louisiana. The vessel is based on the design of the Amels 188.

IMO’s assertion of attorney-client privilege in its malpractice action against Farella, Anderson Kill and their counsel is flawed on several levels. First, imo188 is well established that a party waives physician-patient privilege by affirmatively placing the plaintiff’s physical or mental condition in dispute. In this case, IMO has put the California action in dispute, and it is clear that Farella and Anderson Kill concurrently represented IMO in that action.

It is also worth noting that the statute of limitations for malpractice actions in California is one year. If, as IMO argues, its damages in the California action were caused by the negligently drafted joint stipulation with International, then it may be impossible for IMO to recover its claim against the defendants unless the statute of limitations has expired. Farella and Anderson Kill have withheld documents that show communications about the California action after March 1995, which is well within the statute of limitations. If these documents are revealed, it will be easier for IMO to prove its contention that the defendants were negligent in their handling of the California action.