IHO

eral.  Furthermore,  it  changesthe  eligibility  requirementsfor
  candidates  applying  for  one  of  the  three
positions  Sb  far,  candidates  needed  to  prove  a
close  relation  between  their  professional  career,
hydrography  and  practical  experience  at  sea,  ideally ­
  having  worked  in  hydrographic  surveying.
However,  this  IHO  relevant  quali  cation  doesn’t
automatically  imply  the  ability  to  manage  an  international ­
  organisation.  Talented  managers  with  an
academic,  economic  or  legal  background  were  excluded ­
  from  the  applications  until  now,  as  well  as
candidates  older  than  years  seeking  a  position
in  the  Secretariat.  These  regulations  do  not  exist
anymore.
The  most  important  body  of  the  organisation
was  the  Hydrographic  Conference  taking  place
every  ve  yearsso  far.  It  will  be  replaced  by  an  Assembly ­
  of  all  member  states  meeting  in  a  threeyear-cycle.
  A  Council  made  up  of  states  that
show  highest  interest  in  hydrography  will  meet
annually  -  an  entirely  new  element.  One  of  the
controversial  questions  is  how  to  measure  this
interest  according  to  the  new  convention.  In  future, ­
  ten  seatswill  be  given  to  the  stateswith  the
greatest  national  tonnage;  the  remaining  seats
will  be  divided  among  the  regional  committees ­
  by  means  of  a  still  untested  procedure.  The

aim  of  the  three-year-cycle  meetings  of  Council
and  Assembly  is  to  provide  more  exibility  in  decision-taking ­
  processes,  choosing  topics  and  use
of  budget.  Additionally,  the  instrument  of  voting
by  correspondence  changed  in  sofarasdecisions
will  be  taken  based  on  a  majority  of  the  member
states  that  cast  a  vote,  instead  of  the  still  existing ­
  arrangement  where  a  majority  of  all  member ­
  states  entitled  to  vote  is  required.  However,
it  is  still  unclear  whether  the  Council  with  its
members  is  allowed  to  take  decisions  for  the  reporting ­
  committees  for  technical  standardisation
and  international  cooperation.  This  IHO  working
level  made  up  of  committees  and  related  working ­
  groups  had  already  been  restructured  in
with  regard  to  the  new  Convention.
The  long  awaited  new  organisation  has  nally
  arrived  at  the  Côte  d’Azur.  It  is  now  up  to  the
Secretary  General,  the  Directors  and  the  Council
Chairman  to  live  up  to  the  expectations  of  the
former  generation.  The  time  has  de  nitely  come
for  these  changes  as  processes  depending  on
hydrographic  information  such  as  sea  transportation, ­
  energy  production,  resource  extraction  and
marine  conservation  speed  up  globally  and  call  for
an  organisation  that  works  successfully  on  international ­
  level.  "

40+
YEARS  OF
HYDROGRAPHIC

Fugro  OSAE  GmbH
+49  4212  239150
info@fosa0.dG
www.fugro.com
www.fosao.de

Fugno’s  hydrographic  and  geophysical
surveys  inform  energy,  construction
and  mining  projects  around  the  world.
Our  high  resolution,  large  area  multibeam
surveys  -  facilitated  by  Fugro’s  precise
positioning  services  -  deliver  IHO  compliance,
whilst  our  desktop  studies  and  detailed
surveys  of  cable  routes,  pipelay  and  subsea
infrastructure,  enhance  the  safety  and  efficiency
of  your  project.

GRD