International Maritime Organization
Summary of International Maritime Organization
A specialized agency of the United Nations concerned with maritime safety and protection of the marine environment. The IMO was created as the result of the United Nations Maritime Conference of 1948; the convention creating the IMO did not, however, come into force until 1958. Prior to 1982, the organization was known as the Inter- Governmental Maritime Consultative Organization. The organization is governed by an assembly, which meets every two years, and in which even member state (121 members and 1 associate as of 1981) enjoys one vote. Between assembly sessions, a council of twenty-four members, elected by the assembly, directs the affairs of the organization.
Since its inception, the IMO has promoted conventions and has adopted numerous codes relating to maritime affairs. Details of IMO agreements in force can be found in this Encyclopedia.
In 1984, the membership of the International Maritime Organization was as follows:
Algeria Equatorial Guinea
Angola Ethiopia
Argentina Fiji
Australia Finland
Austria France
Bahamas Gabon
Bahrain Gambia
Bangladesh German Democratic
Barbados Republic
Belgium German Federal
Benin Republic
Brazil Ghana
Bulgaria Greece
Burma Guatemala
Cameroon Guinea
Canada Guinea-Bissau
Cape Verde Guyana
Chile Haiti
China Honduras
Colombia Hungary
Congo Iceland
Costa Rica India
Cuba Indonesia
Cyprus Iran
Czechoslovakia Iraq
Denmark Ireland
Djibouti Israel
Dominica Italy
Dominican Republic Ivory Coast
Ecuador Jamaica
Egypt Japan
El Salvador Jordan
Kampuchea Korea (Republic of)
Kenya Kuwait Lebanon Liberia Libya
Madagascar Malaysia Maldives Malta Mauritania Mauritius Mexico Morocco Mozambique Nepal
Netherlands New Zealand Nicaragua Nigeria Norway Oman Pakistan Panama
Papua New Guinea Peru
Philippines Poland Portugal Qatar Romania St. Lucia
St. Vincent and Grenadines Saudi Arabia Senegal Seychelles Sierra Leone Singapore Somalia Spain Sri Lanka Sudan Surinam Sweden Switzerland Syria Tanzania Thailand Togo
Trinidad and Tobago
Tunisia
Turkey
USSR
United Arab Emirates United Kingdom United States Uruguay Venezuela
Yemen (Arab Republic) Yemen (Democratic Republic)
Yugoslavia
Zaire
(Main Author: William J. Miller)
Introduction to International Maritime Organization
International Maritime Organization (IMO), specialized agency of the United Nations established in 1958 and headquartered in London. The IMO promotes international cooperation on technical matters affecting shipping; recommends and encourages adoption of the highest standards of maritime safety and efficient navigation; and fosters international action to prevent pollution of the sea. In 1992, for example, the IMO authorized new rules for tanker design aimed at reducing the risk of oil spills.” (1)
International Maritime Organization (IMO) in International Trade
Meaning of International Maritime Organization (IMO), according to the Dictionary of International Trade (Global Negotiator): Established as a specialized United Nations agency in 1948 and headquartered in London, England, the IMO facilitates cooperation on technical matters affecting merchant shipping and traffic, including improve maritime safety dangerous goods and prevention of marine pollution. Website.
International Maritime Organization
Embracing mainstream international law, this section on international maritime organization explores the context, history and effect of the area of the law covered here.
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See Also
- International Organization
- Foreign Relations
- Organization
- United Nations
- United Nations System
- UN Agency
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Further Reading
- The entry “international maritime organization” in the Parry and Grant Encyclopaedic Dictionary of International Law (currently, the Encyclopaedic Dictionary of International Law, 2009), Oxford University Press
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Notes and References
- Information about International Maritime Organization in the Encarta Online Encyclopedia
Guide to International Maritime Organization
IMO – International Maritime Organization
Further Reading
- A concise encyclopedia of the United Nations (including International Maritime Organization , H Volger, KA Annan -2010)
- The Oxford Handbook on the United Nations (TG Weiss – 2007)
- International Law: A Dictionary (including International Maritime Organization , Boczek, Boleslaw Adam -2005)