Fiji yesterday signed six treaties of the IMO, including the Ballast Water Management (BWM) Convention where it became the 49th state to do so.

Accession to the BWM followed a similar move by Belgium a few days earlier, but leaves the tonnage total to have acceded to the Treaty at 34.82%, still fractionally short of the 35% of the world fleet required for it to enter into force.

Other marine environment treaties signed by Fiji included the Protocol of 1978 relating to the International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships, 1973, (MARPOL 73/78); including acceptance of Optional Annexes IV and V to MARPOL 73/78;the International Convention on Salvage, 1989 (SALVAGE 1989);the International Convention on Civil Liability for Bunker Oil Pollution Damage, 2001 (BUNKERS 2001);the International Convention on the Control of Harmful Anti-Fouling Systems on Ships, 2001 (AFS 2001); andthe Convention on the International Mobile Satellite Organization, as amended (IMSO C 1976).

The instruments of accession were deposited with IMO secretary-general Kitack Lim by Jitoko Tikolevu, High Commissioner of Fiji to the UK.