International Maritime Organization (IMO)

NATURE AND PURPOSES OF IMO IMO is a specialized agency of the United Nations dealing with maritime affairs . Its membership consists of 162 signatory States that include the UK and every other major maritime country, and three Associate Members1.Together, IMO Member States control more than 96% of world merchant tonnage. IMOs purposes are stated in Article 1 of the Convention on the International Mar itime Organization. The chief purposes can be summarized as: to facilitate inter-governmental co-operation on State regulation and practices r elating to maritime technical matters; and to encourage and facilitate the adoption of the highest practicable standards of maritime safety, efficiency of navigation and prevention and control of marine p ollution from ships. Address: 4 Albert Embankment, London SE1 7SR, England. Website: www.imo.org IMO PROCEDURES 1 IMO organs IMOs main organs are its Assembly, Council, Maritime Safety Committee (MSC), Mari ne Environment Protection Committee (MEPC), Legal Committee, and Technical Co-op eration Committee. There is also a Facilitation Committee and a number of sub-co mmittees of the main technical committees. IMOs work is mostly technical, and is carried out by the committees and sub-comm ittees on which sit representatives of the governments of Member States. 1a Assembly - is the highest governing body of IMO. It consists of all Member States and mee ts once every 2 years in regular sessions, and in extraordinary sessions if nece ssary. The Assembly is responsible for approving IMOs work programme, for voting IMOs budget and for determining IMOs financial arrangements. It elects IMOs Council . Plenary sessions of the Assembly are open to the press and public, but the major ity of its work is done in Committee. 1b Council - is composed of 40 Member States elected by the Assembly for 2-year terms begin ning after each regular session. 10 Council members are Member States with the l argest interest in providing international shipping services, e.g. Greece and No rway. 10 are other States with the largest interest in international seaborne tr ade. 20 are other States with special interests in maritime transport or navigat ion and whose election to the Council will ensure the representation of all majo r geographic areas of the world2. Council is the executive organ of IMO, responsible under the Assembly for superv ising IMOs work. It performs the functions of Assembly between sessions, except f

or making recommendations to governments on maritime safety and pollution. 1c Main committees - include the Maritime Safety Committee (MSC), the Marine Environment Protection Committee (MEPC) and the Legal Committee. - each have sub-committees which deal with detailed technical matters. - may produce resolutions (see A03b.2d). 1d Secretariat London 2 IMO instruments - include: Conventions; Protocols; Amendments; Recommendations, Codes and Guidelines; and Resolutions. Amendments, guidelines and other measures are promulgated by the main committee s (including the MSC and MEPC) by means of circulars, e.g. MSC/Circ. 666: Loadin g and unloading of bulk cargoes. 2a Conventions - are multilateral treaty documents. - are the chief instruments of IMO, being binding legal instruments regulating s ome aspect of maritime affairs of major concern to IMO, e.g. safety of life at s ea or marine pollution. - are identified by a name and the year of adoption by the Assembly, e.g. the Int ernational Convention on the Safety of Life at Sea, 1974. - may have detailed technical provisions attached in annexes, e.g. the six annex es to the MARPOL Convention, each dealing with a different aspect of marine poll ution. - may also have detailed technical provisions in an associated code, e.g. the LS A Code, which contains technical provisions of equipment required under the prov isions of SOLAS. - are commonly referred to by a single-word code-name, e.g. COLREG, more correctly called COLREG 1972 to indicate the year of adoption. 2 The composition of the Council was changed by the 1993 amendments to the IMO C onvention which came into effect on 7 November 2002. consists of the Secretary-General and nearly 300 personnel, based at IMOs