IMO

IMO

INTERNATIONAL MARITIME ORGANISATION

BY
Eng. A. E. Mtui
IMO – the International Maritime
Organization
 IMO (Formerly known as IMCO-International Maritime Consultative
Organization) was established under a 1948 United Nations convention
that entered into force on 17 March 1958.
 IMO was established by means of a Convention adopted under the
auspices of the United Nations in Geneva on 17 March 1948.
 It is the United Nations specialized agency with responsibility for the safety
and security of shipping and the prevention of marine pollution by ships.
 Shipping is a truly international industry, and it can only operate
effectively if the regulations and standards are themselves agreed, adopted
and implemented on an international basis. And IMO is the forum at
which this process takes place.
 The IMO slogan sums up its objectives: Safe, secure and efficient shipping
on clean oceans.
 As of March 15, 2024 IMO currently has 176 member states, 3 associate
members, 40-Member Council, 51 Inter- Governmental Organizations
which have concluded agreements of cooperation, and 66 Non-
Governmental Organizations in Consultative Status with IMO
 Structure of IMO
 The 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 Cooperation Committee; and
 the Facilitation Committee
 and a number of Sub-Committees support the work of the
main technical committees.
 Structure of IMO
 Assembly:
 This is the highest Governing Body of the Organization.
 It consists of all Member States.
 It meets once every two years in regular sessions, but
may also meet in an extraordinary session if necessary.
 The Assembly is responsible for approving the work
programme, voting the budget and determining the
financial arrangements of the Organization.
 The Assembly also elects the Council.
 Structure of IMO
 Council
 The Council is elected by the Assembly for two-year terms.
 The Council is the Executive Organ of IMO.
 It is responsible for supervising the work of the Organization.
 Other functions of the Council are to:
 Coordinate the activities of the organs of the Organization;
 Consider the draft work programme and budget estimates of the
Organization and submit them to the Assembly;
 Receive reports and proposals of the Committees and other organs and
submit them to the Assembly and Member States, with comments and
recommendations as appropriate;
 Appoint the Secretary-General, subject to the approval of the Assembly;
 Enter into agreements or arrangements concerning the relationship of the
Organization with other organizations, subject to approval by the
Assembly.
Structure of IMO
 Council members for the 2016-2017 biennium
 Category (a): 10 States with the largest interest in providing
international shipping services: China, Greece, Italy, Japan, Norway,
Panama, Republic of Korea, Russian Federation, United Kingdom,
United States.
 Category (b): 10 other States with the largest interest in international
seaborne trade: Argentina, Bangladesh, Brazil, Canada, France,
Germany, India, Netherlands, Spain, Sweden.
 Category (c): 20 States not elected under (a) or (b) above which have
special interests in maritime transport or navigation, and whose
election to the Council will ensure the representation of all major
geographic areas of the world: Australia, Bahamas, Belgium, Chile,
Cyprus, Denmark, Egypt, Indonesia, Kenya, Liberia, Malaysia, Malta,
Mexico, Morocco, Peru, Philippines, Singapore, South Africa,
Thailand, Turkey.
 Structure of IMO
 Council members for the 2022-2023 Biennium
 Category (a) 10 States with the largest interest in providing
international shipping services: China, Greece, Italy, Japan, Liberia,
Norway, Panama, the Republic of Korea, the United Kingdom of Great
Britain and Northern Ireland and the United States of America.
 Category (b) 10 States with the largest interest in international
seaborne trade: Australia, Brazil, Canada, France, Germany, India, the
Kingdom of the Netherlands, Spain, Sweden and the United Arab
Emirates.
 Category (c) 20 States not elected under (a) or (b) above, which have
special interests in maritime transport or navigation and whose election to
the Council will ensure the representation of all major geographic areas of
the world: The Bahamas, Bangladesh, Chile, Cyprus, Denmark, Egypt,
Finland, Indonesia, Jamaica, Kenya, Malaysia, Malta, Mexico, Morocco,
Peru, the Philippines, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Singapore and Türkiye.
Structure of IMO
 Maritime Safety Committee (MSC)
 The MSC is the highest technical body of the Organization.
 It consists of all Member States.
 The functions of the Maritime Safety Committee are to “consider any matter within the
scope of the Organization concerned with aids to
 navigation, construction and equipment of vessels,
 manning from a safety standpoint,
 rules for the prevention of collisions,
 handling of dangerous cargoes,
 maritime safety procedures and requirements,
 hydrographic information,
 log-books and navigational records,
 marine casualty investigations,
 salvage and rescue and any other matters directly affecting maritime safety.
 It also has the responsibility for considering and submitting recommendations and guidelines
on safety for possible adoption by the Assembly.
 Structure of IMO
 The Marine Environment Protection Committee (MEPC)
 The MEPC consists of all Member States.
 It is empowered to consider any matter within the scope of the Organization
concerned with prevention and control of pollution from ships.
 Sub-Committees: The MSC and MEPC are assisted in their work by a number
of sub-committees which are also open to all Member States:
 Sub-Committee on Human Element, Training and Watch-keeping (HTW);
 Sub-Committee on Implementation of IMO Instruments (III);
 Sub-Committee on Navigation, Communications and Search and Rescue
(NCSR);
 Sub-Committee on Pollution Prevention and Response (PPR);
 Sub-Committee on Ship Design and Construction (SDC);
 Sub-Committee on Ship Systems and Equipment (SSE); and
 Sub-Committee on Carriage of Cargoes and Containers (CCC).
 Structure of IMO
 Legal Committee
 The Legal Committee is empowered to deal with any legal matters within the
scope of the Organization.
 The Committee consists of all Member States of IMO.
 The Legal Committee is also empowered to perform any duties within its scope
which may be assigned by or under any other international instrument and
accepted by the Organization.
 Technical Cooperation Committee
 The Technical Cooperation Committee is required to consider any matter
within the scope of the Organization concerned with the implementation of
technical cooperation projects for which the Organization acts as the executing
or cooperating agency and any other matters related to the Organization’s
activities in the technical cooperation field.
 The Technical Cooperation Committee consists of all Member States of IMO
 Structure of IMO
 Facilitation Committee
 The Facilitation Committee consists of all the Member States of the
Organization.
 It deals with IMO’s work in eliminating unnecessary formalities and “red tape”
in international shipping by implementing all aspects of the Convention on
Facilitation of International Maritime Traffic 1965 and any matter within the
scope of the Organization concerned with the facilitation of international
maritime traffic.

 Secretariat
 The Secretariat of IMO consists of the Secretary-General and some 300
international personnel based at the headquarters of the Organization in
London.
 Structure of IMO
 Facilitation Committee
 The Facilitation Committee consists of all the Member States of the
Organization.
 It deals with IMO’s work in eliminating unnecessary formalities and “red tape”
in international shipping by implementing all aspects of the Convention on
Facilitation of International Maritime Traffic 1965 and any matter within the
scope of the Organization concerned with the facilitation of international
maritime traffic.

 Secretariat
 The Secretariat of IMO consists of the Secretary-General and some 300
international personnel based at the headquarters of the Organization in
London.
List of IMO Conventions

 Convention on the International Maritime Organization

(Adoption: 6 March 1948; Entry in force: 17 March 1958)
 Key IMO Conventions
 International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS),
1974, as amended
 International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from
Ships, 1973, as modified by the Protocol of 1978 relating thereto and
by the Protocol of 1997 (MARPOL)

 International Convention on Standards of Training, Certification

and Watchkeeping for Seafarers ( STCW) as amended, including the
1995 and 2010 Manila Amendments
 Maritime Labour Convention, 2006 adopted by ILO
 List of IMO Conventions

 Conventions relating to maritime safety and security and ship/port

interface
 Convention on the International Regulations for Preventing Collisions at Sea (
COLREG), 1972
 Convention on Facilitation of International Maritime Traffic (FAL), 1965
 International Convention on Load Lines (LL), 1966
 International Convention on Maritime Search and Rescue (SAR), 1979
 Convention for the
Suppression of Unlawful Acts Against the Safety of Maritime Navigation
(SUA), 1988, and Protocol for the Suppression of Unlawful Acts Against
the Safety of Fixed Platforms located on the Continental Shelf (and the 2005
Protocols)
 International Convention for Safe Containers (CSC), 1972
 List of IMO Conventions

 Conventions relating to maritime safety and security and ship/port

interface
 Convention on the International Maritime Satellite Organization (IMSO C),
1976
 The Torremolinos International Convention for the Safety of Fishing Vessels
(SFV), 1977, superseded by the The 1993 Torremolinos Protocol; Cape Town
Agreement of 2012 on the Implementation of the Provisions of the 1993
Protocol relating to the Torremolinos International Convention for the Safety
of Fishing Vessels
 International Convention on Standards of Training, Certification and
Watchkeeping for Fishing Vessel Personnel (STCW-F), 1995
 Special Trade Passenger Ships Agreement (STP), 1971 and Protocol on Space
Requirements for Special Trade Passenger Ships, 1973
List of IMO Conventions

 Conventions relating to prevention of marine pollution

 International Convention Relating to Intervention on the High Seas in Cases
of Oil Pollution Casualties (INTERVENTION), 1969
 Convention on the Prevention of Marine Pollution by
Dumping of Wastes and Other Matter (LC), 1972 (and the 1996 London
Protocol)
 International Convention on
Oil Pollution Preparedness, Response and Co-operation (OPRC), 1990
 Protocol on Preparedness, Response and Co-operation to pollution Incidents
by Hazardous and Noxious Substances, 2000 (OPRC-HNS Protocol)
 International Convention on the Control of Harmful Anti-fouling Systems
on Ships (AFS), 2001
 International Convention for the Control and Management of
Ships' Ballast Water and Sediments, 2004
 The Hong Kong International Convention for the Safe and Environmentally
Sound Recycling of Ships, 2009
 List of IMO Conventions

 Conventions covering liability and compensation

 International Convention on Civil Liability for Oil Pollution Damage (CLC),
1969
 1992 Protocol to the International Convention on the Establishment of an
International Fund for Compensation for Oil Pollution Damage (FUND 1992)
 Convention relating to Civil Liability in the Field of
Maritime Carriage of Nuclear Material (NUCLEAR), 1971
 Athens Convention relating to the Carriage of Passengers and their Luggage by
Sea (PAL), 1974
 Convention on Limitation of Liability for Maritime Claims (LLMC), 1976
International Convention on Liability and Compensation for Damage in
Connection with the Carriage of Hazardous and Noxious Substances by Sea
(HNS), 1996 (and its 2010 Protocol)
 International Convention on Civil Liability for Bunker Oil Pollution Damage,
2001
 Nairobi International Convention on the Removal of Wrecks, 2007
 List of IMO Conventions

 Other Conventions
 International Convention on Tonnage Measurement of Ships (TONNAGE),
1969

 International Convention on Salvage (SALVAGE), 1989

IMO protocol?

An instrument that makes major amendments to a convention.

The Marpol Convention of 1973 was modified by a 1978 protocol (hence the
name Marpol 73/78).

The Solas and Loadline convention were both amended for the introduction of
the harmonised system of survey and certification by means of a 1988 protocol
which entered into force in 2000.
 IMO resolution:
 The final document resulting from the agreement by the IMO
assembly or a main IMO committee,

 e.g. the Maritime Safety Committee (MSC) or Marine

Environmental Protection Committee (MEPC), of some matters
such as an amendment or recommendation.

 Assembly resolutions have numbers prefixed by ‘A’ such as

A.741(18) and are published in A4-size books. Resolutions of
IMO committee have numbers such as MSC.104(73) and
MEPC.88(44).
 IMO Has Developed 25 Codes
Including:
 Ship and Port Facility Security (ISPS)
 Standards for Training and Watchkeeping
 Maritime Dangerous Goods (IMDG) 
 Solid Bulk Cargoes
 Safety Management (ISM)
 High Speed Craft
 Construction and Equipment of Mobile Offshore Drilling Units
 Construction and Equipment of Ships Carrying Dangerous Chemical in
Bulk
 IMO Has Developed More Than 700
Recommendations & Guidelines,

Including:
 Securing Arrangements for the Transport of Road Vehicles on Ro-Ro
Ships
 Packing Cargo in Freight Containers
 Intact Stability for Passenger & Cargo Ships under 100 meters in
length
 Safe Access to and Working in Large Tanks & Large Cargo Holds
 Emergency Towing Requirements – Tankers
 Provisions and Display of Maneuvering Information on Board Ships
 Safe Use of Pesticides in Ships
 Medical First Aid Guide for Use in Accidents involving Dangerous
Goods