The International MaritimeOrganization (IMO) - Structure

The IMO's structure comprises
the Assembly, the Council, the
Maritime Safety Committee, the
Marine Environment Protection
Committee, the Legal Committee,
the Technical Cooperation
Committee, and the secretariat,
headed by a Secretary-General.
Assembly
The governing body of the IMO
is the Assembly, composed of all
IMO members. The Assembly
determines the work program
and votes on the budget to
which all members contribute. It
meets once every two years in
regular sessions, but may also
meet in extraordinary session if
necessary.
Council
Between sessions of the
Assembly, the Council performs
all functions of the organization
except that of recommending
the adoption of maritime safety
regulations, a prerogative of the
Maritime Safety Committee. The
Council also has an important
policymaking role. Drafts of
international instruments and
formal recommendations must
be approved by the Council
before they can be submitted to
the Assembly.
The Council is made up of 40
members elected by the
Assembly for two-year terms: ten
members represent states with
the largest international shipping
services; ten represent states with
the largest international
seaborne trade; and 20
represent states, not elected
under the foregoing categories,
that have special interests in
maritime transport or navigation
and whose presence in the
Council will ensure
representation of the world's
major geographic areas. The
Council normally meets twice a
year. The members of the
Council elected by the 22st
Assembly in 2002 for 2002 –03
were: (from the first category)
China, Greece, Italy, Japan,
Norway, Panama, Republic of
Korea, Russian Federation,
United Kingdom, United States;
(from the second category)
Argentina, Bangladesh, Brazil,
Canada, France, Germany, India,
Netherlands, Spain, Sweden; and
(from the last category)
Australia, Bahamas, Chile,
Cyprus, Denmark, Egypt, Ghana,
Honduras, Indonesia, Kenya,
Lebanon, Malta, Mexico, Nigeria,
Philippines, Poland, Singapore,
South Africa, Turkey, and
Venezuela.
Committees
The Maritime Safety Committee
is made up of all IMO member
states. Its work is carried out
mainly through nine sub-
committees working in the
following areas: bulk liquids and
gases; carriage of dangerous
goods, solid cargoes and
containers; fire protection;
radiocommunication and search
and rescue; safety of navigation;
ship design and equipment;
stability and load lines and
fishing vessels safety; standards
of training and watch-keeping;
flag state implementation.
The Marine Environment
Protection Committee is
responsible for all matters
relating to the prevention and
control of marine pollution from
ships.
The Legal Committee, established
in the aftermath of the Torrey
Canyon disaster of 1967 to deal
with the legal problems arising
from that incident, is responsible
for any legal matter within the
scope of the IMO.
The Technical Cooperation
Committee coordinates the work
of the IMO in providing technical
assistance in the maritime field,
especially to developing
countries.
The Facilitation Committee is a
subsidiary body of the Council. It
was established in May 1972 and
deals with IMO's work in
eliminating unnecessary
formalities and "red tape" in
international shipping.
Secretary-General and
Secretariat
The secretariat consists of a
Secretary-General, appointed by
the Council with the approval of
the Assembly, and an
international staff of about 300.
IMO headquarters are at 4
Albert Embankment, London,
England, UK, SE1, 7SR.
The Secretary-General is William
A. O'Neil, of Canada, who was
appointed to the position with
effect of 1 January 1990. He
heads a staff of approximately
300.