On the morning of March 25,2025, the 24th Session of the Asia-Pacific Heads of Maritime Safety Agencies (APHoMSA) Forum, hosted by China Maritime Safety Administration (China MSA) and organized by Fujian Maritime Safety Administration and Fuzhou Municipal People’s Government, commenced in Fuzhou.

Attending and delivering remarks at the opening ceremony were Mr. Fu Xuyin, Member of the Party Leadership Group and Vice Minister of the Ministry of Transport of China; Ms. Guo Ningning, Member of the Standing Committee of the CPC Fujian Provincial Committee and Secretary of the Fuzhou Municipal Committee; and Mr. Wei Xiaokui, Member of the Party Leadership Group and Vice Governor of Fujian Province. Mr.Arsenio Dominguez, Secretary-General of the International Maritime Organization (IMO), addressed the meeting via recorded video. The forum was co-chaired by Mr. Xu Wei, Party Secretary of the China MSA, and Mr. Peter Brunt, Deputy Director of Maritime New Zealand. Over 80 representatives and delegates from maritime authorities of member states and regions under the APHoMSA mechanism, as well as observer organizations, participated in the event.

On behalf of the Ministry of Transport, Fu Xuyin extended congratulations on the convening of the conference and affirmed the important role played by the APHoMSA forum in promoting maritime exchanges and deepening and expanding maritime cooperation in the Asia-Pacific region. He shared the work done by China MSA in terms of innovative management and strengthened cooperation. He emphasized that all countries and regions in the Asia-Pacific should strive to overcome the adverse impacts of geopolitical conflicts, trade protectionism, and other unfavorable factors, adhere to mutually beneficial cooperation, jointly promote the healthy development of Asia-Pacific shipping, maintain green and safe practices to consolidate the development advantages of Asia-Pacific shipping, persist in reform and innovation to broaden the scope of Asia-Pacific maritime cooperation, and work together to safeguard a fair and equitable shipping order and jointly promote high-quality development of global shipping.

On behalf of the Fuzhou Municipal Party Committee, the Municipal Government, and the people of Fuzhou, Guo Ningning extended a warm welcome to the guests from home and abroad who had come to Fuzhou to attend the grand event. She stated that Fuzhou was an important birthplace of the Maritime Silk Road, thriving and prospering by the sea. During his tenure in Fuzhou, President Xi Jinping had the foresight to propose the strategic vision of a “Maritime Fuzhou”. Fuzhou would unswervingly march towards the sea, actively serve and integrate into the construction of a maritime community with a shared future and a Asia-Pacific community with a shared future, adhere to the principles of strengthening the maritime industry, revitalizing the sea through science and technology, connecting to the sea through ports, opening up and invigorating the sea, and protecting the sea through ecological means, and strive to take the lead in the construction of a national demonstration zone for marine economic development. Fuzhou hoped to continuously deepen cooperation with the international maritime community in the Asia-Pacific region, work together to promote the development of marine industries, expand maritime opening-up spaces, strengthen maritime security governance, and jointly create the next “Golden Thirty Years” of Asia-Pacific development.

On behalf of the Fujian Provincial Government, Wei Xiaokui extended congratulations on the holding of the conference. He stated that Fujian had always vigorously carried forward the important concepts and major practices initiated by President Xi Jinping during his tenure in Fujian, further improved marine conservation, accelerated industrial development, optimized the shipping system, and promoted the continuous achievement of new results in the construction of a “Maritime Fujian”. He hoped to take this conference as an opportunity to further deepen cooperation and exchanges between Fujian and the Asia-Pacific region, strengthen knowledge and technology sharing, work together towards a shared blue dream, and jointly write a new chapter in international maritime cooperation.

In his video address, Arsenio Dominguez, Secretary-General of the International Maritime Organization, fully affirmed the important role of the APHoMSA as a regional platform. He called on member agencies in the Asia-Pacific region to cooperate fully with the IMO, jointly face the opportunities and challenges brought by geopolitics, digitalization, automation, and artificial intelligence, and strive to achieve the important strategic goals of safety and security, empowering seafarers, and shipping decarbonization.

The 24th Session of the Asia-Pacific Heads of Maritime Safety Agencies (APHoMSA) Forum is a three-day event during which participating representatives will engage in in-depth discussions on five themes: regional cooperation, marine environmental protection, maritime safety, maritime accident emergency response, and women in the maritime sector. The conference will also issue the “Regional Cooperation Initiative of the 24th Session of the Asia-Pacific Heads of Maritime Safety Agencies (APHoMSA) Forum (Fuzhou Declaration)”to enhance mutual understanding, build consensus, and provide new spaces and pathways for establishing a new pattern of Asia-Pacific maritime governance and promoting the digital, intelligent, and green transformation and development of shipping.

The Asia-Pacific Heads of Maritime Safety Agencies (APHoMSA) Forum serves as a cooperative mechanism platform among maritime agencies in the Asia-Pacific region. It aims to strengthen information sharing, experience exchange, and technical cooperation, jointly promoting regional maritime navigation safety and marine environmental protection, as well as serving the development and prosperity of the shipping economy. Currently, this mechanism has 29 member agencies and 9 observer organizations.