13 Apr 2012

IMO / TITANIC ANNIVERSARY

One hundred years after the sinking of the Titanic, the head of the International Maritime Organization (IMO) warned that there are still “dangers and perils” associated with sea travel today. IMO

Posted at: April 13, 2012 3:57 pm

Duration: 01:08

Available in: SD

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STORY: IMO / TITANIC ANNIVERSARY
TRT: 1.08
SOURCE: IMO
RESTRICTIONS: NO ACCESS APTN LIBRARY FOR FILE FOOTAGE
LANGUAGE: ENGLISH / NATS

DATELINE: 13 APRIL 2012, GENEVA, SWITZERLAND / FILE

SHOTLIST:

FILE – RECENT, GENEVA, SWITZERLAND

1. Zoom out, exterior International Maritime Organization (IMO)

RECENT, GENEVA, SWITZERLAND

2. SOUNDBITE (English) Koji Sekimizu, Secretary-General, International Maritime Organization (IMO):
"Within a few hours, more than 1,500 people had perished in the freezing waters of the North Atlantic, transforming what was then the world's most celebrated ship into a name forever associated with disaster."

FILE – IMO HANDOUT – NO ACCESS APTN LIBRARY

3. Various shots, shipping

RECENT, GENEVA, SWITZERLAND

4. SOUNDBITE (English) Koji Sekimizu, Secretary-General, International Maritime Organization (IMO):
"Over 100 years, we have seen tremendous improvements in the safety record of shipping. But new generations of vessels bring fresh challenges and, even today, accidents still occur, reinforcing the need for continual improvement. Our efforts to promote maritime safety and, in particular, to avoid such disasters befalling passenger ships as Titanic, will never end."

STORYLINE:

One hundred years after the sinking of the Titanic, the head of the International Maritime Organization (IMO) warned that there are still "dangers and perils" associated with sea travel today.

In a video message released ahead of the anniversary on Saturday (14 April), IMO Secretary-General Koji Sekimizu remembered all those who lost their lives in the tragic accident.

SOUNDBITE (English) Koji Sekimizu, Secretary-General, International Maritime Organization (IMO):
"Within a few hours, more than 1,500 people had perished in the freezing waters of the North Atlantic, transforming what was then the world's most celebrated ship into a name forever associated with disaster."

Sekimizu recalled that the Titanic disaster caused the major shipping nations of the world to take decisive action and led to the adoption of the International Convention on Safety of Life at Sea in 1914, which still governs shipping safety today.

Concerns over maritime safety in the wake of the Titanic tragedy also prompted the creation of the International Maritime Organization itself.

Sekimizu urged IMO member governments and the shipping industry as a whole, to continue improving shipping safety with refreshed determination.

SOUNDBITE (English) Koji Sekimizu, Secretary-General, International Maritime Organization (IMO):
"Over 100 years, we have seen tremendous improvements in the safety record of shipping. But new generations of vessels bring fresh challenges and, even today, accidents still occur, reinforcing the need for continual improvement. Our efforts to promote maritime safety and, in particular, to avoid such disasters befalling passenger ships as Titanic, will never end."

The Titanic sank on her maiden voyage from Southampton, England to New York City in the United States, after hitting an iceberg in the North Atlantic Ocean on 14 April 1912. The British passenger liner was carrying 2,224 people, of which more than 1,500 died.

At least 30 people were killed earlier this year in a modern-day maritime disaster that conjured the sinking of the Titanic, when the cruise ship Costa Concordia ran aground off the coast of Italy with some 4,000 people aboard on 13 January 2012.

Filed under 06.04.00 - WATER TRANSPORT AND SHIPPING IMO.