The 13th Asia Pacific Conference Heads of Maritime Safety Agencies Forum (APHoMSA) opened in the central coastal city of Nha Trang on July 10.
The meeting, held for the first time in Vietnam by Vietnam Maritime Administration, has attracted more than 70 delegates from maritime agencies across the Asia Pacific Region as well as representatives from international maritime organizations.
Addressing the opening ceremony, Deputy Minister of Transport Nguyen Van Cong highly appreciated the cooperation between regional countries and economic sectors of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) in implementing the Forum's agreement.
He also stressed that Vietnam and other countries in the region need to cooperate more closely with each other in resolving maritime security issues, protecting the sea environment and coordinating in search and rescue work.
This year's conference will discuss issues related to implementing the Maritime Labor convention and a range of governments' maritime service assistance.
Delegates at the meeting will also seek initiatives for promoting maritime development and safety in line with international standards and protecting the environment.
Technical cooperation between APHoMSA and International Maritime Organizations in the future was also discussed at the forum.
The APHoMSA conference will last until July 12.
Source: VOV
Date: 07/13/2012
