Secretary-General of International Maritime Organisation to visit Finland

Secretary-General of International Maritime Organization Arsenio Antonio Domínguez Velasco will visit Finland from 27 February to 2 March 2024. Secretary-General Domínguez will meet Prime Minister Petteri Orpo, Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Transport and Communications Minna Kivimäki and Director General of the Transport and Communications Agency Traficom Jarkko Saarimäki.

The meeting with Prime Minister Orpo will take place on Wednesday 28 February. Secretary-General Domínguez, who is from the Republic of Panama, started in his office on 1 January 2024. 

On Wednesday, Domínguez will also meet officials working in maritime transport and maritime affairs in Finland. The delegation will be led by Permanent Secretary Minna Kivimäki. The topics of the meeting will include the situation in the Red Sea area and its impacts on international shipping, the growth of the so-called shadow fleet sailing the world’s seas, and the consideration of ice-strengthened vessels in IMO negotiations on measures for reducing greenhouse gas emissions from ships. 

Domínguez will meet members of the Transport and Communications Committee of Parliament to discuss the same issues. 

During his visit, Domínguez will learn about Finnish maritime expertise, meet representatives of shipping companies and other businesses in the Finnish maritime cluster, and speak to diplomats, researchers and experts representing the Member States of the IMO Council in Finland. On Thursday 29 February, he will travel to Oulu and learn at the University about how new marine engines based on carbon-free fuels are developed by means of model-based systems engineering.

Finland is a member of the IMO Council

IMO plays a key role in developing international rules for maritime transport. The Organization has 175 Member States and its Council, which consists of 40 Member States, provides comprehensive guidance for the Organization’s work between the Assembly sessions.

Finland joined IMO in 1959. In December 2023, Finland was elected a Member of the IMO Council for the period 2024–2025.

Inquiries:

Ministry of Transport and Communications:
Eero Hokkanen, Ministerial Adviser, Alternate Permanent Representative of Finland to the IMO, tel. +358 50 476 0401, [email protected], X @eerohokkanen

Transport and Communications Agency Traficom:
Anita Mäkinen, Chief Specialist, Alternate Permanent Representative of Finland to the IMO, tel. +358 40 162 4592, [email protected], X @AnitaMakinen

Edit 28.2. at 9:58: Corrections to the titles of Eero Hokkanen and Anita Mäkinen.