Dear Member,

The Secretariat is pleased to inform you about the twenty fifth session of the HMEI General Assembly (HMEI GA-25) which will take place on Wednesday, 25 September 2024 from 15:00 to 16:30, in Schubert rooms 1-3, at the Messe Wien Exhibition & Congress Center, Vienna, Austria.

HMEI GA-25 is being held in conjunction with the MTWE-2024.   If you are attending MTWE-2024 you are kindly invited to make all necessary arrangements to attend the HMEI GA-24 at the time indicated above.

The provisional agenda for HMEI GA-25 (Doc. 1), as approved by the Chair, is attached herewith.  Other documents related to the meeting will be sent to you as they become available and posted on HMEI website.

we should, therefore, be grateful if you would inform the HMEI Secretariat of the name(s) of the person representing your company at the HMEI GA-25 at your earliest convenience, but not later than 16 September 2023.

You may also wish to note that in accordance with Art. 8 of the HMEI Articles of Association (HMEI Articles of Association), non-member organizations in the hydrometeorological and other environmental fields may be invited to attend session of the General Assembly.

Wishing you every success at MTWE-2024 and in contributing to the deliberations of the HMEI GA-25 session.

Look forward to seeing you in Vienna.

Extreme maritime weather events – those which are dangerous to any vessel at sea – threaten life, property and the marine environment and can adversely affect the global blue economy. Despite decades of investments in weather forecasting that have substantially improved predictability of such events, ships still transit into hazardous conditions, resulting in damage and, often, loss of cargo, personnel injuries or deaths, and environmental damage. Incidents of ships encountering extreme weather in recent years underscore the urgent need for action by the shipping and metocean communities.