Desk Report: Secretary General of the International Maritime Organization (IMO), the UN specialized agency that regulates the global shipping industry, Mr Arsenio Dominguez Velasco arrived in Dhaka this evening on a 4-day official visit. High Commissioner of Bangladesh to the UK and Permanent Representative to the IMO Ms. Saida Muna Tasneem, DG Shipping Commodore Mohammad Maksud Alam and other senior officials of the Shipping Ministry received IMO SG at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport.

Mr. Dominguez was elected as the Secretary-General of the IMO in January. Bangladesh is the first Asian country he is visiting after taking office. During his visit, the IMO SG will be calling on Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. He will also be calling on Industry Minister Mr. Nurul Majid Mahmud Humayun, MP, and State Minister of Shipping Mr. Khalid Mahmud Chowdhury, MP. He would be visiting the Bangabandhu Memorial Museum at Dhanmondi 32 to pay homage to the Father of the Nation, Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. IMO SG will also give a talk on ‘Towards a net zero shipping 2050: IMO’s Vision for a just and equitable transition’ at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Thursday. Mr. Dominguez would also be visiting Bangladesh’s maritime and port infrastructure as well as Bangladesh’s ship recycling industry and would be taking a Guard of Honour at Bangladesh Marine Academy by Bangladesh cadet seafarers on the occasion of Bangladesh’s observance of International Day of Seafarers.

Bangladesh was elected to the IMO Council category C last year for a 2-year term and has been playing an active and visible role at the IMO to promote the interest of LDCs, SIDS and LLDCs for their transition to greener shipping and to promote an environmentally safe and sustainable global shipping industry.

Biniyougbarta/SAM//