“Extensive Report on Intl Maritime Organization”
Introduction:
Following the Titanic disaster, an international convention was adopted in 1914 named the Safety of Line at Sea Convention (SOLSC). Inter-Governmental Maritime Consultative Organization IMCO was later formed to provide protection for shipping and to bring the matter to an international forum. IMCO later came to be known as International Maritime Organization (IMO) in 1982.
It has continued to produce new and updated conventions across a wide range of maritime issues covering not only the safety of life and marine pollution but also encompassing safe navigation, search and rescue, wreck removal, tonnage measurement, liability and compensation, ship recycling, the training and certification of seafarers, and privacy. It is a specialized agency of the United Nations.
Head Quarters: London
Secretary-General: Kitack Lim
Date: March 17, 1948
Total Population: 4.928 million
Total Economy (budget): N381 BILLION FOR 2022
Key Areas of Involvement: international trade, shipping, maritime. Liability
Member States:
As of 2020, there are 174 member states of the International Maritime Organization, which includes 174 of the United Nations member states plus the Cook Islands. The first state to ratify the convention was Canada in 1948. The three most recent members to join were Armenia and Nauru (which became IMO members in January and May 2018, respectively) and Botswana (who joined the IMO in October 2021).
Structure:
The International Maritime Organization consists of an Assembly, a Council, and five main Committees: the Maritime Safety Committee; the Marine Environment Protection Committee; the Legal Committee; the Technical Co-operation Committee, and the Facilitation Committee. A number of Sub-Committees support the work of the main technical committees.
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Governance:
The governing body of the International Maritime Organization is the Assembly which meets every two years. In between Assembly sessions a Council, consisting of 40 Member States elected by the Assembly, acts as the governing body. The technical work of the International Maritime Organization is carried out by a series of Committees. The Secretariat consists of some 300 international civil servants headed by a Secretary-General.
Reported by Sahab Humaira, a student of International Relations at the National University of Modern Languages Islamabad. She is interested in Diplomacy and International Institutions.
