In news- IMO’s World Maritime Day was celebrated on 30th September themed “Seafarers: at the core of shipping’s future“.
About International Maritime Organisation (IMO) –
- An international conference in Geneva in 1948 adopted a convention formally establishing the IMO, a specialized UN agency that develops and maintains a comprehensive regulatory framework for shipping.
- The IMO’s original name was the Inter-Governmental Maritime Consultative Organization (IMCO) but the name was changed in 1982 to IMO.
- It focuses on areas such as safety, environmental concerns, legal matters, technical co-operation, maritime security and the efficiency of shipping.
- It is headquartered in London, United Kingdom.
- It has 174 member states and three associate members.
- India joined IMO in 1959.
- Its parent organization is the United Nations Economic and Social Council (UN ECOSOC).
- The work of IMO is conducted through five committees and these are supported by technical subcommittees.
- In January 1959, IMO began to maintain and promote the 1954 International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution of the Sea by Oil (OILPOL) Convention.
- World Maritime Day was first held on March 17, 1978 to mark the date of the IMO Convention’s entry into force in 1958.