International Maritime Organisation

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A specialised agency of the United Nations headquartered in London and responsible for regulating shipping, the IMO has 175 Member States.

The IMO is responsible for improving the safety and security of international shipping and preventing pollution from ships. It is also involved in legal matters, including liability and compensation issues and the facilitation of international maritime traffic. It was established using a Convention adopted under the auspices of the United Nations in Geneva on 17 March 1948 and met for the first time in January 1959.

It currently has 175 Member States. IMO’s governing body is the Assembly, which comprises all the Member States and meets normally once every two years. It adopts the budget for the next biennium and technical resolutions and recommendations prepared by subsidiary bodies during the previous two years. The Council of 40 Member States, elected by the Assembly, acts as a governing body between Assembly sessions. It prepares the budget and work programme for the Assembly. The main technical work is carried out by the Maritime Safety, Marine Environment Protection, Legal, Technical Co-operation and Facilitation Committees and several sub-committees.

The IMO slogan sums up its objectives: Safe, secure and efficient shipping on clean oceans.

In the United Kingdom, the MCA governs the adoption and implementation of the IMO frameworks, rules and strategies. This includes (but is not limited to):

International Convention for the Safety of life at Sea (SOLAS);
International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships (MARPOL),
International Regulations for Preventing Collisions at Sea (IRPCS),
Global Maritime Distress and Safety System (GMDSS).

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