PANAMA IS THE VENUE OF THE “XXIII MEETING OF THE AGREEMENT COMMITTEE AND ADMINISTRATORS OF INFORMATION CENTERS AS WELL AS TECHNICAL WORK GROUPS” OF THE VIÑA DEL MAR AGREEMENT.

Panama is the venue for the “XXVIII Meeting of the Agreement Committee, and Administrators of Information Centers as well as Technical Work Groups”, of the Viña del Mar Agreement, which will take place from September 5 to 8 of this year. The Latin American Agreement on Control of Vessels by the Port State Control, known as the “Viña del Mar Agreement”, will bring together the maritime authorities of the region, responsible for the exercise of jurisdiction by the port State control in the areas of security, maritime protection, shipping facilitation and prevention of pollution caused by ships. During the event, aspects related to the harmonization of port State control procedures to be used by Port State Control Officers (OSERP) will be addressed, including the identification of deficiencies and the action measures adopted, in each case, in order to eradicate the operation of deficient ships in the ports of the Latin American region. The Viña del Mar Agreement, signed on November 5, 1992, during the sixth meeting of the Regional Cooperation Operational Network of Maritime Authorities of South America, Cuba, Mexico and Panama (ROCRAM); is currently made up of 16 member states from Central and South America. Delegations from Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Cuba, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Peru, the Dominican Republic, Uruguay, Venezuela and Panama, representatives of the Secretariat of the Viña del Mar Agreement, special guests and observers will participate. Once again, Panama was chosen to host this meeting and the agenda will include a technical visit for the delegates of the member countries, where they will be able to see first-hand how the different areas of the maritime industry are developed in our country. The Panama Maritime Authority, the Panamanian state entity responsible for compliance as Port State Control, reiterates its commitment to ensure that foreign ships arriving at national ports comply with international standards and regulations adopted by the Republic of Panama.