Message from the Secretary-General
Welcome to another edition of the IALA e-Bulletin.
General Assembly
As I write the Secretariat has been busy preparing for the First General Assembly of the organisation. This historic moment in our calendar will be held from 18 to 21 February 2025 and we are most grateful to our generous host, the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore, a long-standing Member of IALA, for bringing this about.
By the time of this First General Assembly the Membership of IALA will have been invited to submit names for nomination for the new Council to be elected.
To pave the way to this First General Assembly we convened three highly successful meetings of the Transition Council in August and September and this month (December).
Having regard to our new status I am pleased to report that the most cordial relations are maintained with fellow IGOs, namely IMO, IHO and ITU. Elsewhere, we continue to foster at every opportunity strong links with the international maritime community.
World-Wide Academy; appointment of Dean
In recent weeks we have warmly welcomed Mr Vincent Denamur who took up office as Dean of the IALA World-Wide Academy early in November in succession to Omar Frits Eriksson. We wish Vincent a long and fruitful partnership.
Aid to Guinea Bissau
In October we completed a technical mission in Guinea-Bissau collaborating with IHO and with valuable support from IFAN. The mission is well-recorded on the weblink here: https://www.iala.int/news-events/news/?y=2024
Readers will appreciate how we work together to strengthen maritime infrastructure and safety.
Safety of Navigation Seminar
In Singapore one day ahead of the First General Assembly the Academy will hold two seminars, one on VDES and one on the Safety of Navigation. All delegates have been invited to attend and may register for the event online using the following link: https://www.iala.int/product/vdes-seminar-2/ and https://www.iala-aism.org/product/seminar-on-the-safety-of-navigation/
Courses held and proposed
At the time of writing these courses from the Academy have taken place; both organising bodies expressed thanks to all participants for inspiring discussions.
USA
From 9 to 13 September the US Naval Academy in Annapolis, USA, hosted the highly successful 2nd Joint IALA/IHO Workshop on S-100/200 development and portrayal.
With an impressive turnout of 84 delegates from 19 countries, participants collaborated in three working groups, sparking valuable discussions and breakthroughs that will shape future IALA documentation
Australia
The AtoN Engineering Workshop in Sydney, Australia held from 14 to 17 October was a resounding success, bringing together 115 participants from 27 countries.
Under the theme Delivering the Service, Designing the Future it explored emerging technologies and the evolving landscape of AtoN Services.
Key topics included the G1165 guidelines for sustainable design, AtoN in the Great Barrier Reef and Pacific, the latest on MASS technologies, Maritime Connectivity Platform implementation, and more.
The workshop featured insightful presentations from experts, offering a comprehensive look into the future of AtoN Engineering.
One of the workshop’s main goals was to review the IALA World-Wide Academy (WWA) content for AtoN Technicians and refine the engineering elements of the AtoN Manager course.
The next event planned in the new year is:
- Workshop on VTS Competent Authority, scheduled 20-24 January 2025, Rome. https://www.iala.int/product/workshop-on-vts-competent-authority/
Other courses held this year have been those listed here: Procurement for Marine AtoN Manager from 30 September to 4 October in Paramaribo, Suriname; Use of IALA Risk management toolboxes: 11 to 15 November in Rome and AtoN Manager course from 4 to 29 November in Kolkata, India.
On the horizon
Plans are well advanced for the 21st IALA Conference to be held in Mumbai in September 2027.
Finally, I send on behalf of the Council and the Secretariat every good wish for the forthcoming Festive Season and 2025.
Francis Zachariae.
