Global Maritime Capacity Building

Last week at the IMO

The Technical Cooperation Committee is responsible for managing the Integrated Technical Cooperation Programme (ITCP) and implementing technical cooperation projects where IMO acts as the executing or cooperating agency. Its work ensures that IMO’s initiatives contribute to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. The Committee met in London between 8 and 12 June 2026.

Project Resources

The IMO’s total 2025 expenditure across all Technical Cooperation activities was US$23,679,180.

Funding for these activities is from a mixture of IMO monies (known as the Technical Cooperation fund) and donations from member States or other organisations. The Committee analysed a summary of such financial contributions received in 2025 to support specific technical cooperation activities. Broken down into thematic long term project areas, Climate Action received US$6,300,000 in pledges, Security received US$5,252,941, Gender programmes US$2,300,000, and [maritime] Safety received US$297,442.

Global Onboard Training Programme

The Nautical Institute spoke to congratulate the Official Development Assistance Programme of the Republic of Korea for their continued success in delivering cadet sea training opportunities. Since its inception in 2021, this programme has seen 204 cadets from 28 IMO member states benefit from sea training opportunities.

In our intervention we noted a training bottleneck in which many cadets who complete their academic studies then struggle to achieve the required sea service for SCTW certification. We duly welcomed initiatives by all flag States to maximise their financial and administrative incentives for every ship to carry a sensible number of cadets on every voyage.

The IMO Secretariat went on to highlight to the Committee the NextWave programme by Saudi Arabia to provide cadet berths on their national shipping line vessels, as well as other bi- and multi- lateral programmes.  The IMO secretariat is looking into ways to coordinate across such programmes to maximise their utility and benefits to cadets.

Maritime Youth Leadership Forum

Saudi Arabia and 6 other flag states proposed a biennial Maritime Youth Leadership Forum, to be held at the IMO in London under the auspices of this Committee. This seeks a dedicated and recurring IMO platform which will bring young professionals, students and early-career practitioners into sustained dialogue with senior maritime leaders and policymakers.

The Nautical Institute was delighted to intervene to support, in principle, this initiative. We highlighted to flag States the ongoing work of our Younger Members’ Council and also the activities of many of our student members.

The IMO Secretariat are now undertaking a full analysis of the resource and timeline implications before a decision, we hope, to morph this initiative into reality.

Acknowledgements

The Committee was chaired by His Excellency Mr. Dwight C.R. Gardiner, from Antigua and Barbuda. The Nautical Institute was represented by Captain Chris O’Flaherty AFNI.