1.         Brief history of IMO

            2.         Structure

            3.         Budget 2006-2007

            4.         Secretariat

            5.         IMO Member States with year of joining

6          Inter-Governmental Organizations which have concluded agreements of cooperation with IMO           

            7.         Non-Governmental Organizations which have been granted Consultative Status with IMO

            8.         IMO Conventions

                                    a) Safety

                                    b) Preventing marine pollution

                                    c) Liability and Compensation

            d) Other matters

            e) Tacit acceptance

            9.         IMO Codes and Recommendations

                                    a) General

                                    b) Cargoes

                                    c) Marine technology

                                    d) Marine environment

                                    e) Navigation

                                    f) Training and certification

10.       International Maritime Prize

            11.       World Maritime Day

            12.       International Memorial to Seafarers 

            13.       How is IMO faring?  Performances indicators 
 

The International Maritime Organization

Brief history of IMO

It has always been recognized that the best way of improving safety at sea is by developing international regulations that are followed by all shipping nations and from the mid-19th century onwards a number of such treaties were adopted. Several countries proposed that a permanent international body should be established to promote maritime safety more effectively, but it was not until the establishment of the United Nations itself that these hopes were realized. In 1948 an international conference in Geneva adopted a convention formally establishing IMO (the original name was the Inter-Governmental Maritime Consultative Organization, or IMCO, but the name was changed in 1982 to IMO).

The IMO Convention entered into force in 1958 and the new Organization met for the first time the following year.

The purposes of the Organization, as summarized by Article 1(a) of the Convention, are "to provide machinery for cooperation among Governments in the field of governmental regulation and practices relating to technical matters of all kinds affecting shipping engaged in international trade; to encourage and facilitate the general adoption of the highest practicable standards in matters concerning maritime safety, efficiency of navigation and prevention and control of marine pollution from ships". The Organization is also empowered to deal with administrative and legal matters related to these purposes.

IMO's first task was to adopt a new version of the International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS), the most important of all treaties dealing with maritime safety. This was achieved in 1960 and IMO then turned its attention to such matters as the facilitation of international maritime traffic, load lines and the carriage of dangerous goods, while the system of measuring the tonnage of ships was revised.

But although safety was and remains IMO's most important responsibility, a new problem began to emerge - pollution. The growth in the amount of oil being transported by sea and in the size of oil tankers was of particular concern and the Torrey Canyon disaster of 1967, in which 120,000 tonnes of oil was spilled, demonstrated the scale of the problem.

During the next few years IMO introduced a series of measures designed to prevent tanker accidents and to minimize their consequences. It also tackled the environmental threat caused by routine operations such as the cleaning of oil cargo tanks and the disposal of engine room wastes - in tonnage terms a bigger menace than accidental pollution.

The most important of all these measures was the International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships, 1973, as modified by the Protocol of 1978 relating thereto (MARPOL 73/78). It covers not only accidental and operational oil pollution but also pollution by chemicals, goods in packaged form, sewage, garbage and air pollution.

IMO was also given the task of establishing a system for providing compensation to those who had suffered financially as a result of pollution. Two treaties were adopted, in 1969 and 1971, which enabled victims of oil pollution to obtain compensation much more simply and quickly than had been possible before. Both treaties were amended in 1992, and again in 2000, to increase the limits of compensation payable to victims of pollution. A number of other legal conventions have been developed since, most of which concern liability and compensation issues.

Also in the 1970s a global search and rescue system was initiated, with the establishment of the International Mobile Satellite Organization (IMSO), which has greatly improved the provision of radio and other messages to ships.

The Global Maritime Distress and Safety System (GMDSS) was adopted in 1988 and began to be phased in from 1992. In February 1999, the GMDSS became fully operational, so that now a ship that is in distress anywhere in the world can be virtually guaranteed assistance, even if the ship's crew do not have time to radio for help, as the message will be transmitted automatically.

Two initiatives in the 1990s are especially important insofar as they relate to the human element in shipping. On 1 July 1998 the International Safety Management Code entered into force and became applicable to passenger ships, oil and chemical tankers, bulk carriers, gas carriers and cargo high speed craft of 500 gross tonnage and above. It became applicable to other cargo ships and mobile offshore drilling units of 500 gross tonnage and above from 1 July 2002.


On 1 February 1997, the 1995 amendments to the International Convention on Standards of Training, Certification and Watchkeeping for Seafarers, 1978 entered into force. They greatly improve seafarer standards and, for the first time, give IMO itself powers to check Government actions with Parties required to submit information to IMO regarding their compliance with the Convention.

New conventions relating to the marine environment were adopted in the early 2000s, including one on anti-fouling sytems (AFS 2001) and ballast water management (BWM 2004).

The 2000s also saw a focus on maritime security, with the entry into force in July 2004 of a new, comprehensive security regime for international shipping, including the International Shiip and Port Facility Security (ISPS) Code, made mandatory under amendments to SOLAS adopted in 2002.

In 2005, IMO adopted amendments to the Convention for the Suppression of Unlawful Acts (SUA) Against the Safety of Maritime Navigation, 1988 and its related Protocol (the 2005 SUA Protocols), which amongst other things, introduce the right of a a State Party desires to board a ship flying the flag of another State Party when the requesting Party has reasonable grounds to suspect that the ship or a person on board the ship is, has been, or is about to be involved in, the commission of an offence under the Convention.

As IMO instruments have entered into force and been implemented, developments in technology and/or lessons learned from accidents have led to changes and amendments being adopted.

The focus on implementation continues, with the technical co-operation programme a key strand of IMO's work.

Meanwhile, the first audits under the Voluntary IMO Member State Audit Scheme were completed at the end of 2006.
 

Structure

The Organization consists of an Assembly, a Council and four main Committees: the Maritime Safety Committee; the Marine Environment Protection Committee; the Legal Committee; and the Technical Co-operation Committee.  There is also a Facilitation Committee and a number of Sub-Committees of the main technical committees.

The Assembly

This is the highest Governing Body of the Organization. It consists of all Member States and it meets once every two years in regular sessions, but may also meeting 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.

The Council

The Council is composed of 40 Member States elected by the Assembly for two-year terms beginning after each regular session of the Assembly. The IMO Convention provides that in electing the Members of the Council the Assembly shall observe the following criteria:

Council members for period 2006-2007

Category (a): 10 States with the largest interest in providing international shipping services:

Category (b): 10 other States with the largest interest in international seaborne trade:
 

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 Council is the Executive Organ of IMO and is responsible, under the Assembly, for supervising the work of the Organization. Between sessions of the Assembly the Council performs all the functions of the Assembly, except the function of making recommendations to Governments on maritime safety and pollution prevention which is reserved for the Assembly by Article 15(j) of the Convention. Other functions of the Council are to:

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”.

The Committee is also required to provide machinery for performing any duties assigned to it by the IMO Convention or any duty within its cope of work which may be assigned to it by or under any international instrument and accepted by the Organization. It also has the responsibility for considering and submitting recommendations and guidelines on safety for possible adoption by the Assembly.

The Marine Environment  Protection Committee (MEPC)

The MEPC, which consists of all Member States, is empowered to consider any matter within the scope of the Organization concerned with prevention and control of pollution from ships. In particular it is concerned with the adoption and amendment of conventions and other regulations and measures to ensure their enforcement.

The MEPC was first established as a subsidiary body of the Assembly and raised to full constitutional status in 1985.

Sub-Committees

The MSC and MEPC are assisted in their work by nine sub-committees which are also open to all Member States. They deal with the following subjects:

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. It was established in 1967 as a subsidiary body to deal with legal questions which arose in the aftermath of the Torrey Canyon disaster.

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 Co-operation Committee

The Technical Co-operation Committee is required to consider any matter within the scope of the Organization concerned with the implementation of technical co-operation projects for which the Organization acts as the executing or co-operating agency and any other matters related to the Organization’s activities in the technical co-operation field.

The Technical Co-operation Committee consists of all Member States of IMO, was established in 1969 as a subsidiary body of the Council, and was institutionalized by means of an amendment to the Convention which entered into force in 1984.

Facilitation Committee

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. Participation in the Facilitation Committee is open to all Member States of IMO.

World Maritime University (WMU)

The WMU was founded in 1983 and provides intensive training for students who hold responsible positions in maritime administrations, training academies, shipping companies and other bodies but who would benefit from training that is unavailable in their own countries. The WMU enrols just over 100 students a year for its 2-year courses, bringing the total student enrolment since 1983 to over 1,800 from 140 different countries and territories.

Web site:  http://www.wmu.se

IMO International Maritime Law Institute (IMLI)

The Institute, based in Malta, opened in 1989 and has trained over 200 students.

Web site:  http://www.imli.org

IMO International Maritime Academy

The IMA held its first training course in 1989. Courses are aimed at students who already work in government structures but who need some further training to improve the quality of their work.

Web site:  http://www.imoima.org

Secretariat

The Secretariat of IMO consists of the Secretary-General and nearly 300 personnel based at the headquarters of the Organization in London. The Secretary-General of the Organization is Mr. Efthimios Mitropoulos from Greece, who was appointed to the position with effect from 1 January 2004.  The holders of the office have been:

Budget 2006-2007

The IMO Assembly in November 2005 approved budgetary appropriations of £49,730,300. This compares with £46,194,900 for 2004-2005.

Contributions to the IMO budget are based on a formula which is different from that used in other United Nations agencies: the amount paid by each Member State depends primarily on the tonnage of its merchant fleet.

The top ten contributors for 2006 were assessed as follows (the figures show the amount payable and as a percentage of the total budget):

 

Panama Liberia Bahamas United Kingdom Greece Singapore Japan Marshall Islands United States China

4,141,951 1,730,648 1,128,559 1,040,068 973,151 900,531 842,596 802,983 771,737 749,093

18.47 7.72 5.03 4.64 4.34 4.02 3.76 3.58 3.44 3.34

Technical co-operation activities

The Integrated Technical Co-operation Programme, approved by the Technical Co-operation Committee totals $14,280,000  for the 2002-2003 biennium

IMO has appointed three regional co-ordinators in Africa. See the Technical Co-operation section.

IMO Conventions

In order to achieve its objectives IMO has promoted the adoption of over 40 conventions and protocols, nearly all of which are now in force.

Conventions and protocols are binding legal instruments, and upon entry into force their requirements must be implemented by all States which are party to them.

In additions there are many Guidelines and Recommendations.  All the publications listed are available from the Publishing Service and can be purchased via the IMO Website at http://www.imo.org .  Many are also available in French , Spanish, Arabic, Chinese and Russian

Safety

International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea, 1974, as amended (SOLAS)

International Convention on Load Lines, 1966 (LL)

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

Special Trade Passenger Ships Agreement, 1971 (STP)

1973 Protocol (SPACE STP 1973)

Convention on the International Regulations for Preventing Collisions at Sea, 1972, as amended (COLREG)

International Convention for Safe Containers, 1972, as amended (CSC)

Convention on the International Maritime Satellite Organization (INMARSAT) and Operating Agreement, 1976

Torremolinos International Convention for the Safety of Fishing Vessels, 1977 (SFV)

International Convention on Standards of Training, Certification and Watchkeeping for Seafarers, 1978, as amended (STCW)

International Convention on Maritime Search and Rescue, 1979 (SAR)

Preventing marine pollution

International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution of the Sea by Oil, 1954, as amended (OILPOL 1954)

International Convention relating to Intervention on the High Seas in Cases of Oil Pollution Casualties, 1969 , as amended (INTERVENTION)

Convention on the Prevention of Marine Pollution by Dumping of Wastes and Other Matter, 1972, as amended (LDC)

International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships, 1973, as modified by the Protocol of 1978, as amended (MARPOL 73/78)

International Convention on Oil Pollution Preparedness and Response, 1990, as amended (OPRC)

International Convention on the Control of Harmful Anti-Fouling Systems (ANTI-    FOULING)

International Convention for the Control and Management of Ships' Ballast Water and Sediments, 2004 (BALLAST WATER).

Liability and compensation

International Convention on Civil Liability for Oil Pollution Damage, 1969 (CLC), as amended

International Convention on the Establishment of an International Fund for Compensation for Oil Pollution Damage, 1971 (FUND)

Athens Convention relating to the Carriage of Passengers and their Luggage by Sea, 1974 (PAL), as amended

Convention relating to Civil Liability in the Field of Maritime Carriage of Nuclear Material, 1971 (NUCLEAR)

Convention on Limitation of Liability for Maritime Claims, 1976 (LLMC)

International Convention on Liability and Compensation for Damage in connection with the Carriage of Hazardous and Noxious Substances by Sea, 1996 (HNS)

International Convention on Civil Liability for Bunker Oil Pollution Damage, 2001  (Bunkers Convention) 

Other matters

Convention on Facilitation of International Maritime Traffic, 1965, as amended (FAL)

Convention for the Suppression of Unlawful Acts against the Safety of Maritime Navigation (1988) (SUA)

Protocol for the Suppression of Unlawful Acts against the Safety of Fixed Platforms Located on the Continental Shelf (1988) (SUA PROT)

International Convention on Salvage (1989) (SALVAGE)        

International Convention on Maritime Liens and Mortgages, 1993 (LIENS AND           MORTGAGES)

International Convention on the Arrest of Ships, 1999 (ARREST)

International Convention on the Removal of Wrecks, 2007

 

Tacit acceptance

The amendment procedures contained in the first Conventions to be developed under the auspices of IMO were so slow that some amendments adopted have never entered into force.  This changed with the introduction of the "tacit acceptance" procedure.

Tacit acceptance is now incorporated into most of IMO's technical Conventions.  It facilitates the quick and simple modification of Conventions to keep pace with the rapidly evolving technology in the shipping world.  Without tacit acceptance, it would have proved impossible to keep Conventions up to date and the IMO's role as the international forum for technical issues involving shipping would have been placed in jeopardy.

In the spring of 1968, IMO - then still called IMCO, the Inter-Governmental Consultative Organization - celebrated the  20th anniversary of the adoption of the IMO Convention. It should have been an occasion for some congratulations. But all was not well. Many of the Organization's Member States were not happy with the progress that had been made so far.

Many were concerned about the Organization's structure and its ability to respond to the changes taking place in shipping. In March, 1967, the oil tanker Torrey Canyon had gone aground off the coast of England, resulting in what was then the world's biggest oil spill. IMO was called upon to take action to combat oil pollution and to deal with the legal issues that arose. But would it be able to do so?

The general disquiet was summed up by Canada in a paper submitted to the 20th session of the IMO Council in May 1968. It stated that "the anticipations of twenty years ago have not been fulfilled" and went on to complain of the effort required by Member States in attending meetings and dealing with the technical problems raised by IMO. The paper was discussed by the Council which agreed to establish a working group to prepare a draft statement of the objectives of IMO and an inventory of further objectives which the Organization could usefully fulfil in the field of international maritime transport.

In November 1968 the working group reported back to the Council.  It outlined a list of activities, far broader than the programmes undertaken by IMO so far. This was approved by the Council, which also agreed that IMO needed to improve its working methods.

The working group was asked to report to the Council again at its 22nd session in May 1969.This time it put forward a number of proposals for improving IMO's working methods, the most important of which concerned the procedures for amending the various Conventions that had been adopted under IMO's auspices.

The problem facing IMO was that most of its Conventions could only be updated by means of the "classical" amendment procedure. Amendments to the 1960 SOLAS Convention, for example, would enter into force "twelve months after the date on which the amendment is accepted by two-thirds of the Contracting Governments including two-thirds of the Governments represented on the Maritime Safety Committee.  This did not seem to be a difficult target when the Convention was adopted, because to enter into force the Convention had to be accepted by only 15 countries, seven of which had fleets consisting of at least 1 million gross tons of merchant shipping.

But by the late 1960s the number of Parties to SOLAS had reached 80 and the total was rising all the time as new countries emerged and began to develop their shipping activities. As the number of Parties rose, so did the total required to amend the Convention. It was like trying to climb a mountain that was always growing higher and the problem was made worse by the fact that Governments took far longer to accept amendments than they did to ratify the parent Convention.

The Council approved the working group's proposal that "it would be a useful first step to undertake a comparative study of the conventions for which IMO is depositary and similar instruments for which other Members of the United Nations family are responsible." This proposal was endorsed by the 6th regular session of the IMO Assembly in October 1969 and the study itself was completed in time to be considered by the Assembly at its 7th session in 1971.

It examined the procedures of four other UN agencies: the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), the International Telecommunications Union (ITU), the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) and the World Health Organization (WHO).

It showed that all of these organizations were able to amend technical and other regulations. These amendments became binding on Member States without a further act of ratification or acceptance being required.

On the other hand, IMO had no authority to adopt let alone amend conventions. Its mandate allowed it only to "provide for the drafting of conventions, agreements or other instruments and to recommend these to Governments and to intergovernmental organizations and to convene such conferences as may be necessary."  Article 2 of the IMO Convention specifically stated that IMO's functions were to be "consultative and advisory".

The Organization could arrange a conference - but it was up to the conference to decide whether the Convention under discussion should or should not be adopted and to decide how it should be amended. The study concluded that "any attempt to bring the IMO procedure and practice into line with the other organizations would, therefore, entail a change either in the constitutional and institutional structure of the Organization itself or in the procedure and practice of the diplomatic conferences which adopt the conventions of IMO. The first might involve an amendment to the IMO Convention itself. The second might require that diplomatic conferences convened by IMO should grant greater power to the organs of IMO in regard to the review and revision of the instruments."

The study was discussed at length by the Assembly. Canada pointed out that the amendments adopted to the 1960 SOLAS Convention in 1966, 1967, 1968 and 1969 had failed to enter into force and this "sufficed to show that IMO would henceforth have to tackle serious institutional problems."  A note submitted to the conference by Canada stated that "unless the international maritime community is sufficiently responsive to these changed circumstances, States will once again revert to the practice of unilaterally deciding what standards to apply to their own shipping and to foreign flag shipping visiting their ports."

The result was the adoption of resolution A.249(VII) which referred to the need for an amendment procedure  "which is more in keeping with the development of technological advances and social needs and which will expedite the adoption of amendments." It called for the Legal Committee and Maritime Safety Committee to prepare draft proposals for consideration by the 8th Assembly.

A growing urgency was added by the fact that IMO was preparing a number of new conventions for adoption during the next few years. Conferences to consider a new Convention on the International Regulations for Preventing Collisions at Sea and an International Convention for Safe Containers were both scheduled for 1972, a major Convention dealing with the Prevention of Marine Pollution from Ships for 1973 and a conference to revise SOLAS was scheduled for 1976. All of these treaties required a new, easier amendment procedure than the traditional method.

The MSC discussed the amendment question at its 25th session in March 1972. A working group was formed to discuss the matter in detail and concluded that at current rates of acceptance the requisite "two-thirds" target needed to amend SOLAS 1960 "will not be achieved...for many years, possibly never." Moreover, any future amendments would almost certainly suffer the same fate. This would include any amendments intended to improve the amendment procedure itself. The working group reported: "It follows that the only realistic way of bringing an improved amending procedure into effect within a reasonable period of time is to incorporate it into new or revised technical conventions.

A few weeks later, the Legal Committee held its 12th session. Among the documents prepared for the meeting was a report on discussions that had taken place at the MSC and a detailed paper prepared by the Secretariat.  The paper analysed the entry into force and amendment processes of various IMO Conventions and referred to two possible methods that had been considered by the Assembly, for speeding up the amendment procedure. Alternative I was to revise each Convention so that greater authority for adopting amendments might be delegated to the appropriate IMO organs. Alternative II was to amend the IMO Convention itself and give IMO the power to amend Conventions.

The study then considered Alternative I in greater detail. The main reason why amendments took so long to enter into force was the time taken to gain acceptance by two-thirds of Contracting Governments. One way of reducing this period would be by "specifying a date ...of entry into force after adoption by the Assembly, unless that date of amendment is explicitly rejected by a certain number or percentage of Contracting Governments."  The paper said that this procedure "has the advantage that all Contracting Governments would be able to advance the preparatory work for implementing the amended regulations and the industry would be in a position to plan accordingly."

The Committee established a working group to consider the subject and prepared a preliminary study based on its report, which again referred to the disadvantages of the classical amendment system. The study continued: "The remedy for this, which has proved to be workable in practice, in relation to a number of conventions, is what is known as the 'tacit' or 'passive' acceptance procedure. This means that the body which adopts the amendment at the same time fixes a time period within which contracting parties will have the opportunity to notify either their acceptance or their rejection of the amendment, or to remain silent on the subject. In case of silence, the amendment is considered to have been accepted by the party...".

The tacit acceptance idea immediately proved popular. The Council, at its meeting in May, decided that the next meeting of the Legal Committee should consist of technical as well as legal experts so that priority could be given to the amendment issue. The Committee was asked to give particular attention to tacit acceptance. 

The idea was given non-governmental support by the International Chamber of Shipping, which had consultative status with IMO and submitted a paper stating that the lack of an effective amendment procedure created uncertainties and was detrimental to effective planning by the industry. The classical procedure had also encouraged some governments to introduce unilateral legislation that, however well intentioned, was "seriously disruptive to international shipping services." The paper said that if other Governments did the same " the disruption to international shipping and the world trade which it serves would become increasingly severe. Such unilateral action strikes at the purpose of IMO."

By the time the Legal Committee met for its 14th session in September 1972, there was general agreement that tacit acceptance offered the best way forward. Other ideas, such as amending the IMO Convention itself, had too many disadvantages and would take too long to introduce. There was some concern about what would happen if a large number of countries did reject an amendment and the Committee members agreed that tacit acceptance should apply only to the technical content of Conventions, which was often contained in annexes. The non-technical articles should continue to be subject to the classical (or "positive") acceptance procedure.

The Committee also generally agreed that alternative procedures for amending the technical provisions should be retained but it did not reach consensus on another issue: should amendments be prepared and adopted by an appropriate IMO body, such as the Maritime Safety Committee - or by Contracting Parties to the Convention concerned? This was an important point at the time, since many Contracting Parties to IMO Conventions were not yet Members of IMO itself and might object to treaties they had ratified being amended without them even being consulted.

This issue was still unsettled when the Conference on Revision of the International Regulations for Preventing Collisions at Sea opened in October 1972. The purpose of the conference was to update the Collision Regulations and to separate them from the SOLAS Convention (the existing regulations were annexed to SOLAS 1960).

The amendment procedure is contained in Article VI. Amendments to the Collision Regulations adopted by the MSC (by a two-thirds majority) have to be communicated to Contracting Parties and IMO Member States at least six months before being considered by the Assembly. If adopted by the Assembly (again by a two-thirds majority), the amendments enter into force on a date determined by the Assembly unless more than one third of Contracting Parties notify IMO of their objection. On entry into force, any amendment shall "for all Contracting Parties which have not objected to the amendment, replace and supersede any previous provision to which the amendment refers."

Less than two months later, on 2 December 1972 a conference held in Geneva adopted the International Convention for Safe Containers, article X of which contains procedures for amending any part or parts of the Convention. The procedure is the traditional "positive" acceptance system, under which amendments enter into force twelve months after being adopted by two-thirds of Contracting Parties.

However, Article XI contains a special procedure for amending the technical annexes which also incorporates tacit acceptance. The procedure is slightly different from that used in the Collision Regulations, one difference being that the amendments can be adopted by the MSC "to which all Contracting Parties shall have been invited to participate and vote."  This  answered the question of how to take into account the interests of Parties to Conventions that were not Member States of IMO.

The next Convention to be considered was the International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships (MARPOL), which was successfully adopted in May 1973. It, too, incorporated tacit acceptance procedures for amending the technical annexes. In the meantime, IMO was preparing for a new SOLAS convention. This was considered necessary because none of the amendments adopted to the 1960 version had entered into force and did not appear likely to do so in the near future. The 1966 Load Lines Convention also contained a classical amendment procedure and the intention was to combine the two instruments in a new Convention, which was scheduled to be considered in 1976.

The MSC discussed this proposal at its 26th session in October-November, but it was clear that this would be a daunting and time-consuming task. The combined instrument might be a good idea for the future - but the real priority was to get the amendments to SOLAS 1960 into force as quickly as possible and to make sure that future amendments would not be delayed. A working group was set up to consider the various alternatives, but opinion began to move in favour of a proposal by the United Kingdom that IMO should concentrate on an interim Convention designed to bring into force the amendments adopted since 1960. The new Convention, it was suggested, would consist of the 1960 text with the addition of a tacit acceptance amendment procedure and the addition of amendments that had already been adopted.

Another advantage, the United Kingdom pointed out, was that the conference called to adopt the revised Convention "might be held considerably earlier than 1976 since comparatively little preparation would be needed."  The subject was discussed again at the MSC's 27th session in the spring of 1973 and, although some delegations wanted a more comprehensive revision,  others felt that the workload would be so great that the conference would be seriously delayed. By a vote of 12 in favour and four abstentions, the Committee decided to call a conference with limited scope, as proposed by the United Kingdom.

On 21 October, 1974, the International Conference on Safety of Life at Sea opened in London and on 1 November a new SOLAS Convention was adopted, which incorporated the tacit acceptance procedure.

The tacit acceptance amendment procedure has now been incorporated into the majority of IMO's technical Conventions and has been extended to some other instruments as well. Its effectiveness can be seen most clearly in the case of SOLAS 1974, which has been amended on many occasions since then. In the process, the Convention's technical content has been almost completely re-written.

IMO Codes and Recommendations

In addition to conventions and other treaty instruments, IMO also adopts numerous non‑treaty instruments such as codes and recommendations which are adopted by the Assembly, the Maritime Safety Committee and the Marine Environment Protection Committee.  Codes and recommendations are not mandatory instruments: although Member States are expected to implement their provisions, they are not obliged to do so. The list below gives some of the major codes, recommendations and guidelines which have been adopted over the years, with the year in which they were first adopted being given in brackets.

All codes and recommendations are subject to revision and the latest version should always be used.  The Catalogue of IMO Publications is available on the IMO website at http://www.imo.org/home.asp?topic_id=615

General

Code for the Investigation of Maritime Casualties and Incidents

International Safety management Code (ISM Code)

International Ship and Port Facility Security Code and Solas amendments 2002   (ISPS Code)

Cargoes

International Maritime Dangerous Goods Code (IMDG Code)

Code of Safe Practice for Solid Bulk Cargoes (BC Code)

International Code for the Safe Carriage of Grain in Bulk (IGC Code)

Medical First Aid Guide for Use in Accidents Involving Dangerous Goods (MFAG)

Code of Safe Practice for Ships Carrying Timber Deck Cargoes

Recommendations on the Safe Use of Pesticides in Ships

Emergency Procedures for Ships Carrying Dangerous Goods

Recommendations on the Safe Transport of Dangerous Cargoes and Related activities in Port Areas

Code of Safe Practice for Cargo Stowage and Securing

Guidelines for the Preparation of the Cargo Securing Manual

Code of Safe Practice for the Carriage of Cargoes and Persons by Offshore Supply Vessels (OSV Code)

Code of Practice for the Safe Loading and Unloading of Bulk Carriers (BLU Code)

International Code for the Safe Carriage of Packaged Irradiated Nuclear Fuel, Plutonium and High-level Radioactive Wastes in Flasks On Board Ships (INF Code)

Marine technology

Code for the Construction and Equipment of Ships Carrying Dangerous Chemicals in Bulk (BCH Code)

International Code for the Construction and Equipment of Ships Carrying Dangerous Chemicals in Bulk (IBC Code)

Code for the Construction and Equipment of Ships Carrying Liquefied Gases in Bulk 

International Code for the Construction and Equipment of Ships Carrying Liquefied Gases in Bulk (IGC Code)

Code for Existing Ships Carrying Liquefied Gases in Bulk

Code of Practice concerning the accuracy of stability information for fishing vessels

Code of Safety for Fishermen and Fishing Vessels

Safety of Fishing Vessels

FAO/ILO Guidelines for the Design, Construction and Equipment of Small Fishing Vessels

Code of Safety for Dynamically Supported Craft 

Code of Safety for Novel Types of Craft

Code for the Construction and Equipment of Mobile Offshore Drilling Units (MODU Code)

Code of Safety for Nuclear Merchant Ships

Safety Recommendations on the Use of Ports by Nuclear Merchant Ships

Code on Noise Levels on Board Ships

Code of Safety for Special Purpose Ships

Code of Safety for Diving Systems

Code on Alarms and Indicators

Guidelines on Surveys required by the 1978 SOLAS Protocol, the International Bulk Chemical Code and the International Gas Carrier Code

Inert Gas Systems

International Code of Safety for High Speed Craft (HSC Code)

Code on Intact-Stability for all types of ships covered by IMO Instruments

Amendments to the Code on Intact Stability

Explanatory Notes to the SOLAS Regulations on SubDivision and Damage Stability of Cargo Ships of 100 metres in Length and over

Code of Safe Practice for the Carriage of Cargoes and Persons by Offshore Supply Vessels (OSV Code)

Tonnage Measurement: Treatment of Shelter-Deck and Other Open Spaces

Guidelines for the Design and Construction of Offshore Supply Vessels

Regulations on Subdivision and Stability of Passenger Ships

Recommendations Concerning Regulations for Machinery and Electrical Installations in Passenger and Cargo Ships

Recommendations Concerning Fire Safety Requirements for Passenger Ships Carrying No More Than 36 Passengers

International Code for Application of Fire Test Procedures (FTP) Code

Fire Safety Systems (FSS) Code

Marine environment

Guidelines and Specifications for Oil Discharge Monitoring and Control Systems for Oil Tankers

Recommendations on International Performance and Test Specifications for Oily‑Water Separating Equipment and Oil Content Meters

Recommendation on International Effluent Standards and Guidelines for Performance Tests for Sewage Treatment Plants

Recommendation Concerning the Installations of Oily‑Water Separating Equipment under MARPOL 73/78

Revised Specifications for the Design, Operation and Control of Crude Oil Washing Systems

Guidelines for Surveys under Annex I of MARPOL 73/78

Guidelines for Surveys under Annex II of MARPOL 73/78)

Manual on Chemical Pollution

Manual on Oil Pollution (Sections I, II, III and IV published separately at various dates)

Code for the Safe Carriage of Irradiated Nuclear Fuels, Plutonium and High-Level Radioactive Wastes in Flasks on Board Ships

IMO/UNEP Guidelines on Oil Spill Dispersant Applications including Environmental Considerations

Field Guide for Oil Spill Response in Tropical Waters

Guidelines for the Development of Shipboard Marine Pollution Emergency Plans

Comprehensive Manual  on Port Reception Facilities

Guidelines for Ensuring the Adequacy of Port Waste Reception Facilities

Control of Ships and Discharges

Crude Oil Washing Systems

Dedicated Clean Ballast tanks

Procedures for Port State Control

Navigation

Recommendation on Basic Principles and Operational Guidance Relating to Navigational Watchkeeping

Safety Provisions of Ocean Data Acquisition Systems, Aids and Devices

Standard Marine Navigational Vocabulary

Ships' Routeing

International Code of Signals

Recommendation on General Requirements for Electronic Navigational Aids

Life-saving, search and rescue

Merchant Ship Search and Rescue Manual

IMO Search and Rescue Manual

Pocket Guide to Cold Water Survival

Code of Practice for the Evaluation, Testing and Acceptance of Prototype Novel Life‑Saving Appliances and Arrangements

Recommendation on Testing of Life‑Saving Appliances

International Life-Saving Appliance Code (LSA Code)

International Aeronautical and Maritime Search and Rescue (IAMSAR) Manual

Recommendation on Emergency Position‑Indicating Radio Beacons

Recommendation on the Carriage of VHF Radiotelephone Stations

World‑Wide Navigational Warning Service

Proper Use of VHF Channels at Sea

NAVTEX Manual

GMDSS Handbook

GMDSS Operating Guidance Card

International Safety NET Manual

Performance Standards for Shipboard Radiocommunications and Navigational Equipment

Testing and Evaluation of Life Saving Appliances

Training and certification

Recommendation on Training and Qualifications of Officers and Crews of Ships Carrying Hazardous or Noxious Chemicals in Bulk

FAO/ILO/IMO Document  for Guidance on training and Certification of Fishing Vessel Personnel

FAO/ILO/IMO Document for Guidance on Fishermen’s training and Certification

Training of Officers and Ratings Responsible for Cargo Handling on Ships Carrying Dangerous and Hazardous Substances in Solid Form in Bulk or in Packaged Form

IMO/ILO Guidelines for the Development of Tables of Seafarers’ Shipboard Working Arrangements and Formats of Records of Seafarers’Hours of Work or Hours of Rest

International Safety Management (ISM) Code

Procedures for the Control of Operational Requirements

Code of Safe Practice for the Carriage of Cargoes and Persons by Offshore Supply Vessels (OSV Code)

Seafarers' Training, Certification and Watchkeeping Code

In addition to the above, a comprehensive series of model courses has been published by the Organization.

International Maritime Prize

The International Maritime Prize is awarded annually by the IMO Council to the individual or organization judged to have made the most significant contribution to the work and objectives of IMO.  The prize was first awarded in 1980 and the winners have been:

1980 ‑ Mr. Modolv Hareide (Norway)

1981 ‑ Rear‑Admiral R.Y. Edwards (USA)

1982 ‑ Mr. George A. Maslov (USSR)

1983 ‑ Mr. H.R. Bárdarson (Iceland)

1984 ‑ Mr. Shen Zhaoqi (China)

1985 ‑ Mr. Per Eriksson (Sweden)

1986 ‑ Mr. Moustafa Fawzi (Egypt)

1987 ‑ Dr. James Cowley (United Kingdom)

1988 ‑ Mr. Emil Jansen (Norway)

1989 ‑ Prof. J.W. Doerffer (Poland)

1990 ‑ Mr. Z. Sdougos (Greece)

1991 - Dr. C.P. Srivastava (India)

1992 - Mr. Y. Sasamura (Japan)

1993 - Admiral J. W. Kime (USA)

1994 - Mr. J. Perrakis (Greece)

1995 - Mr. G. Ivanov (Russia)

1996 - Mr. T. Funder (Denmark)

1997 - Dr. Gamal Mokhtar (Egypt)

1998 - International Lifeboat Federation
1999 - Mr. Ian Mills Williams (Australia)
2000 - Mr. Heikki Juhani Valkonen (Finland)
2001- Mr. Giuliano Pattofatto (Italy) (Posthumously)
2002 - Mr. Frank Wall (United Kingdom)
2003 - Mr. Mr. William O'Neil (Canada)
2004 - Mr. Luis Martínez (Mexico)
2005 - Mr. Tom Allen (United Kingdom)

World Maritime Day

World Maritime Day is celebrated at the end of September (the exact date is decided upon by individual Member States) and enables attention to be focused on a particular aspect of IMO's work. 

The themes have been:

1978 - Safety, welfare and training of seafarers

1979 - Safer shipping and cleaner oceans

1980 - Maritime training for safer shipping and cleaner oceans

1981 - Effective global implementation of IMO's technical standards for the promotion of    safer  shipping and cleaner oceans

1982 - Global co‑operation for the prevention and control of marine pollution from ships

1983 - Maritime telecommunications for safety, efficiency and seafarers' welfare

1984 - Global co‑operation for the training of maritime personnel

1985 - Maritime search and rescue

1986 - Global co‑operation for safety at sea and the protection of the marine environment

1987 - Maritime legislation for safer shipping and cleaner oceans

1988 - Shipboard management for maritime safety and pollution prevention.

1989 - IMO: the first thirty years

1990 - Cleaner oceans: the role of IMO in the 1990s

1991 - Passenger and crew safety on board ships

1992 - Environment and development: the IMO role

1993 - Implementation of IMO standards: the key to success

1994 - Better standards, training and certification - IMO's response to human error

1995 - 50th anniversary of the United Nations: IMO's achievements and challenges

1996 - IMO: Seeking excellence through co-operation

1997 - Optimum maritime safety demands a focus on people

1998 - IMO’s 50^th anniversary:  Shipping and the oceans

1999 - IMO and the new Millennium

2000 - IMO - building maritime partnerships
2001 - Globalization and the Role of the Seafarer
2002 - IMO: Safer shipping demands a safety culture
2003 - IMO: Committed people working for safe, secure and clean seas

2004 - IMO: Focus on maritime security
2005 - IMO: International shipping - Carrier of world trade
2006 - IMO: Technical co-operation: IMO's response to the 2005 World Summit

How is IMO faring?

Resolution A.944(23)  Strategic Plan for the Organization (for the six-year period 2004 To 2010).  Incorporates performance indicators.

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