What exactly is IMO?

The International Maritime Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations which is responsible for
measures to improve the safety and security of international shipping and to prevent marine 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 by means of a onvention adopted under the auspices of the United Nations
in !eneva on "# March "$%& and met for the first time in 'anuary "$($. It currently has ")# Member *tates.
IMO+s governing body is the ,ssembly which is made up of all ")# Member *tates and meets normally once
every two years. It adopts the budget for the ne-t biennium together with technical resolutions and
recommendations prepared by subsidiary bodies during the previous two years. The ouncil acts as governing
body in between ,ssembly sessions. It prepares the budget and wor. programme for the ,ssembly. The main
technical wor. is carried out by the Maritime *afety, Marine /nvironment 0rotection, 1egal, Technical o2
operation and 3acilitation ommittees and a number of sub2committees.
The IMO slogan sums up its ob4ectives5 Safe, secure and efficient shipping on clean oceans.
What does IMO do?
6hen IMO first began operations its chief concern was to develop international treaties and other legislation
concerning safety and marine pollution prevention.
7y the late "$#8s, however, this wor. had been largely completed, though a number of important instruments
were adopted in more recent years. IMO is now concentrating on .eeping legislation up to date and ensuring that
it is ratified by as many countries as possible. This has been so successful that many onventions now apply to
more than $&9 of world merchant shipping tonnage.
urrently the emphasis is on trying to ensure that these conventions and other treaties are properly implemented
by the countries that have accepted them. The te-ts of conventions, codes and other instruments adopted by
IMO can be purchased from IMO 0ublications.
Why do we need an international organization to look after shipping?
7ecause shipping is an international industry. If each nation developed its own safety legislation the result would
be a maze of differing, often conflicting national laws. One nation, for e-ample, might insist on lifeboats being
made of steel and another of glass2reinforced plastic. *ome nations might insist on very high safety standards
while others might be more la-, acting as havens for sub2standard shipping.
How does IMO implement legislation?
It doesn+t. IMO was established to adopt legislation. !overnments are responsible for implementing it. 6hen a
!overnment accepts an IMO onvention it agrees to ma.e it part of its own national law and to enforce it 4ust
li.e any other law. The problem is that some countries lac. the e-pertise, e-perience and resources necessary to
do this properly. Others perhaps put enforcement fairly low down their list of priorities.
6ith ")# !overnments as Members IMO has plenty of teeth but some of them don+t bite. The result is that
serious casualty rates 2 probably the best way of seeing how effective !overnments are at implementing
legislation 2 vary enormously from flag to flag. The worst fleets have casualty rates that are a hundred times
worse than those of the best.
IMO is concerned about this problem and in "$$: set up a special *ub2ommittee on 3lag *tate Implementation
to improve the performance of !overnments. ,nother way of raising standards is through port *tate control. The
most important IMO conventions contain provisions for !overnments to inspect foreign ships that visit their ports
to ensure that they meet IMO standards. If they do not they can be detained until repairs are carried out.
/-perience has shown that this wor.s best if countries 4oin together to form regional port *tate control
organizations.
IMO has encouraged this process and agreements have been signed covering /urope and the north ,tlantic ;0aris
MOU<= ,sia and the 0acific ;To.yo MOU<= 1atin ,merica ;,cuerdo de >i?a del Mar<= aribbean ;aribbean MOU<=
6est and entral ,frica ;,bu4a MOU<= the 7lac. *ea region ;7lac. *ea MOU<= the Mediterranean ;Mediterranean
MOU<= the Indian Ocean ;Indian Ocean MOU< and the ,rab *tates of the !ulf ;! MoU ;@iyadh MoU<<.
IMO also has an e-tensive technical co2operation programme which concentrates on improving the ability of
developing countries to help themselves. It concentrates on developing human resources through maritime
training and similar activities.
IMOhas adopted the >oluntary IMO Member *tate ,udit *cheme. The ,udit *cheme is designed to help promote
maritime safety and environmental protection by assessing how effectively Member *tates implement and
enforce relevant IMO onvention standards, and by providing them with feedbac. and advice on their current
performance
What aout the classification societies?
,ll ships must be surveyed in ordered to be issued certificates which establish their seaworthiness, type of ship,
and so onand this is the responsibility of the flag *tate of the vessel. Aowever, the flag *tate ;B,dministrationB<
may Bentrust the inspections and surveys either to surveyors nominated for the the purpose or to organizations
recognized by itB ;*O1,* hapter ", regulation )<.
In pracice these Brecognized organizationsB are often the classification societies.
The International ,ssociation of lassification *ocieties;I,*< is a Non2!overnmental Organization which was
granted onsultative *tatus with IMO in "$)$.