LIBERIA: The National Fisheries and Aquaculture Authority (NaFAA) of Liberia has committed to fully implement a management plan for the sea cucumber fisheries in the country following a workshop held this month in conjunction with the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations

SOUTH AFRICA: The Competition Commission (Commission) gazetted the draft terms of reference (ToRs) for a market inquiry into the South African steel industry at the beginning of April and has invited public comment on the scope of the inquiry.

LEGAL: The International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea (ITLOS) will deliver the judgement on the dispute concerning the delimitation of the maritime boundary between Mauritius and the Maldives on Friday, 28 April.

SOUTH AFRICA: One year since the finalisation of the report into  various allegations of irregularities at the South African Maritime Safety Authority (SAMSA), the authority has issued a tender requesting for bids from service providers to establish and maintain a whistle blower hotline.

INTERNATIONAL: The Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) set an ambitious goal to mobilise US$100 million to help safeguard the ocean and sustainable seafood supplies over the next decade as part of MSC’s Ocean Stewardship Fund which aims to end overfishing.

SOUTH AFRICA: The Robinson Dry Dock in the Port of Cape Town has welcomed its first vessel after a year-long decommissioning that was used to undertake the installation and upgrade of a new dewatering system.

According to an article written by Lene-Camilla Nordlie of Gard, despite an overall decrease in the number of stowaway incidents reported in Africa, the continent remains the hot spots for stowaway embarkations.

There is a high possibility that this year’s International Maritime Organisation’s (IMO) election for a new Secretary General could result in a first for women as three of the seven candidates are female, but whether it will also be a first for Africa is hard to say. Nevertheless I am fairly confident in calling a two-horse race for the top position at the upcoming IMO election in July this year.