View source for International Maritime Organization

{{Short description|Specialised agency of the United Nations}}
{{EngvarB|date=April 2017}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2017}}
{{Use Oxford spelling|date=December 2018}}

{{Infobox organization
| image = International Maritime Organization Logo.svg
| image_size = 220px
| name = International Maritime Organization
| map = 
| map_size = 
| map_caption = 
| type = [[List of specialized agencies of the United Nations|United Nations specialised agency]]
| abbreviation = IMO, OMI
| leader_title = Head
| leader_name = Secretary-General <br /> [[Arsenio Dominguez]]
| status = Active
| formation = {{start date and age|1948|03|17|df=yes}}
| headquarters = [[London]], United Kingdom
| website = {{URL|http://www.imo.org|imo.org}}
| parent_organization = [[United Nations Economic and Social Council]]
| subsidiaries = 
| footnotes = {{Portal-inline|Politics|size=tiny}}
}}

The '''International Maritime Organization''' ('''IMO'''; {{langx|fr|Organisation maritime internationale}}; {{langx|es|Organización Marítima Internacional}})<ref name="about">{{cite web|url=http://www.imo.org/en/About/Pages/Default.aspx|title=Introduction to IMO|publisher=International Maritime Organization|access-date=28 August 2015|archive-date=25 October 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151025184959/http://www.imo.org/en/About/Pages/Default.aspx|url-status=live}}</ref> is a [[List of specialized agencies of the United Nations|specialised agency of the United Nations]] responsible for regulating [[maritime transport]].<ref name="IntroductionUKS">{{cite book |date=2017 |title=Understanding UK Shipping |publisher=[[Witherby Publishing Group]] |pages=14–29 |isbn=9781856097468}}</ref> The IMO was established following agreement at a UN conference held in [[Geneva]] in 1948<ref>{{cite news|url=https://query.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=9B03E4D71E3CE03ABC4C53DFB5668383659EDE|title=Ship Organization Nears Final Form; U.N. Maritime Body Expected to Have 3 Principal Organs – Panama in Opposition|last=Hoffman|first=Michael L.|work=[[The New York Times]]|date=4 March 1948|page=51|access-date=28 August 2015|url-access=subscription|archive-date=15 April 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160415143659/http://query.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=9B03E4D71E3CE03ABC4C53DFB5668383659EDE|url-status=live}}</ref> and the IMO came into existence ten years later, meeting for the first time on 17 March 1958.<ref name=":1">{{Cite web |date=14 May 2023 |title=History of IMO |url=https://www.britannica.com/topic/International-Maritime-Organization |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150511184000/http://www.imo.org/About/HistoryOfIMO/Pages/Default.aspx |archive-date=11 May 2015 |access-date=3 June 2015 |website=Britannica |publisher=}}</ref> Headquartered in London, United Kingdom, the IMO, in 2024, has 176 Member States and three Associate Members.<ref name=IMO/>

The IMO's primary purpose is to develop and maintain a comprehensive regulatory framework for shipping and its remit today includes [[maritime safety]], environmental concerns, [[Admiralty law|legal matters]], technical co-operation, [[maritime security]] and the efficiency of shipping. IMO is governed by an assembly of members which meets every two years.<ref name="IntroductionUKS"/> Its finance and organization is administered by a council of 40 members elected from the assembly.<ref name="IntroductionUKS"/> The work of IMO is conducted through five committees and these are supported by technical subcommittees.<ref name="IntroductionUKS"/> Other UN organisations may observe the proceedings of the IMO. Observer status is granted to qualified non-governmental organisations.<ref name="IntroductionUKS"/>

IMO is supported by a permanent secretariat of employees who are representative of the organisation's members. The secretariat is composed of a [[Secretary-General]] who is periodically elected by the assembly, and various divisions such as those for marine safety, environmental protection and a conference section.<ref name="IntroductionUKS"/>

==History==
[[File:International Maritime Organization Headquarters.jpg|thumb|right|The [[headquarters]] of the IMO are located on [[Albert Embankment]], [[Lambeth]], [[London]]]]

IMO was established in 1948 following a UN conference in Geneva to bring the regulation of the safety of shipping into an international framework.<ref name="IntroductionUKS"/> Hitherto such international conventions had been initiated piecemeal, notably the [[SOLAS Convention|Safety of Life at Sea Convention]] (SOLAS), first adopted in 1914 following the ''[[Titanic]]'' disaster.<ref name="about"/> Under the name of the Inter-Governmental Maritime Consultative Organization (IMCO), IMO's first task was to update the SOLAS convention; the resulting 1960 convention was subsequently recast and updated in 1974 and it is that convention that has been subsequently modified and updated to adapt to changes in safety requirements and technology. Since 1978, every last Thursday of September has been celebrated as World Maritime Day, commemorating the establishment of the International Maritime Organisation in 1958.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Arora |first=Sumit |date=2023-09-27 |title=World Maritime Day 2023: Date, Theme, History and Significance |url=https://currentaffairs.adda247.com/world-maritime-day-2023/ |access-date=2023-09-28 |website=adda247 |language=en-IN |archive-date=28 September 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230928113352/https://currentaffairs.adda247.com/world-maritime-day-2023/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

When IMCO began its operations in 1959 certain other pre-existing conventions were brought under its aegis, most notable the [[International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution of the Sea by Oil]] (OILPOL) 1954. In January 1959, IMO began to maintain and promote the 1954 OILPOL Convention. Under the guidance of IMO, the convention was amended in 1962, 1969, and 1971. The first meetings of the newly formed IMCO were held in London in 1959.<ref name=IMOHistoryInPics/>

As oil trade and industry developed, many people in the industry began to recognise a need for further improvements in regards to oil pollution prevention at sea. This became increasingly apparent in 1967, when the tanker ''[[SS Torrey Canyon|Torrey Canyon]]'' spilled 120,000 tons of crude oil when it ran aground entering the English Channel<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|url = http://www.imo.org/KnowledgeCentre/ReferencesAndArchives/HistoryofMARPOL/Documents/MARPOL%2073-78%20Brief%20History%20-%20List%20of%20amendments%20and%20how%20to%20find%20them.htm|title = MARPOL73-78: Brief history – list of amendments to date and where to find them|date = March 2012|access-date = 1 June 2015|publisher = IMO|archive-date = 6 March 2015|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20150306232814/http://www.imo.org/KnowledgeCentre/ReferencesAndArchives/HistoryofMARPOL/Documents/MARPOL%2073-78%20Brief%20History%20-%20List%20of%20amendments%20and%20how%20to%20find%20them.htm|url-status = live}}</ref> The ''Torrey Canyon'' grounding was the largest oil pollution incident recorded up to that time. This incident prompted a series of new conventions.<ref name=":0" />
[[File:IMO Secretaries-General.jpg|thumb|right|Former Secretary-General Kitack Lim (left), with predecessor Secretaries-General O'Neill, Mitropoulos and Sekimizu]]
IMO held an emergency session of its council to deal with the need to readdress regulations pertaining to maritime pollution. In 1969, the IMO Assembly decided to host an international gathering in 1973 dedicated to this issue.<ref name=":0" /> The goal at hand was to develop an international agreement for controlling general environmental contamination by ships when out at sea. During the next few years IMO brought to the forefront a series of measures designed to prevent large ship accidents and to minimise their effects. It also detailed how to deal with the environmental threat caused by routine ship duties such as the cleaning of oil cargo tanks or the disposal of engine room wastes.  By tonnage, the aforementioned was a bigger problem than accidental pollution.<ref name=":0" /> The most significant development to come out of this conference was the [[MARPOL 73/78|International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships, 1973]] (MARPOL).  It covers not only accidental and operational oil pollution but also different types of pollution by chemicals, goods in packaged form, sewage, garbage and air pollution.<ref name=":1" /> The original MARPOL was signed on 17 February 1973, but did not come into force due to lack of ratifications. The current convention is a combination of 1973 Convention and the 1978 Protocol. It entered into force on 2 October 1983. As of January 2018, 156 states, representing 99.42 per cent of the world's shipping tonnage, are signatories to the MARPOL convention.<ref name="IMO_Status_2019">{{citation |url=http://www.imo.org/en/About/Conventions/StatusOfConventions/Documents/StatusOfTreaties.pdf |work=IMO |title=Status of Treaties |date=December 16, 2019 |access-date=December 31, 2019 |archive-date=28 May 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200528090136/http://www.imo.org/en/About/Conventions/StatusOfConventions/Documents/StatusOfTreaties.pdf |url-status=dead}}</ref>{{update inline|date=October 2018}}

As well as updates to MARPOL and SOLAS, the IMO facilitated several updated international maritime conventions in the mid to late 20th century, including the [[International Convention on Load Lines]] in 1966 (replacing an earlier 1930 Convention), the [[International Regulations for Preventing Collisions at Sea]] in 1972 (also replacing an earlier set of rules) and the [[STCW Convention]] in 1978.<ref name="IntroductionUKS"/> In 1975, the assembly of the IMO decided that future conventions of the [[SOLAS Convention|International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea]] (SOLAS) and other IMO instruments should use SI units only.<ref>{{cite journal
|url = http://www.imo.org/blast/blastDataHelper.asp?data_id=24097&filename=351(IX).pdf
|title = Resolution A.351(IX) Use of metric units in the SI system in the International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea, 1974, and other future instruments
|journal = Assembly Resolutions
|date = 12 November 1975
|access-date = 4 September 2012
|publisher = International Maritime Organization
|archive-date = 28 August 2013
|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20130828012541/http://www.imo.org/blast/blastDataHelper.asp?data_id=24097&filename=351(IX).pdf
|url-status = dead
}}</ref> As such, sea transportation is one of few industrial areas that still commonly uses non-[[International System of Units|metric units]] such as the [[nautical mile]] (nmi) for distance and [[Knot (unit)|knots]] (kn) for speed or velocity.<ref>One nautical mile is approximately one [[minute of arc]] of [[latitude]] along any [[meridian arc]], and is today precisely defined as 1852 meters (about 1.151 [[statute miles]]).</ref>

In 1982, IMCO was renamed as the International Maritime Organization (IMO). Throughout its existence, the IMO has continued to produce new and updated conventions across a wide range of maritime issues covering not only safety of life and marine pollution but also encompassing safe navigation, search and rescue, wreck removal, tonnage measurement, liability and compensation, ship recycling, the training and certification of seafarers, and piracy. More recently SOLAS has been amended to bring an increased focus on maritime security through the [[International Ship and Port Facility Security Code|International Ship and Port Facility Security (ISPS) Code]]. The IMO has also increased its focus on smoke emissions from ships. In 1983, the IMO established the [[World Maritime University]] in Malmö, Sweden and also facilitated the adoption of the [[International Code of the Construction and Equipment of Ships Carrying Liquefied Gases in Bulk|IGC Code]].<ref name="IntroductionUKS"/> In 1991, the IMO facilitated the adoption of the [[International Code for the Safe Carriage of Grain in Bulk|International Grain Code]].<ref name="IntroductionUKS"/>

In December 2002, new amendments to the 1974 SOLAS Convention were enacted by the IMO. These amendments gave rise to the [[International Ship and Port Facility Security Code|International Ship and Port Facility Security (ISPS) Code]], which went into effect on 1 July 2004. The concept of the code is to provide layered and redundant defences against smuggling, terrorism, piracy, stowaways, etc. The ISPS Code required most ships and port facilities engaged in international trade to establish and maintain strict security procedures as specified in ship and port specific Ship Security Plans and Port Facility Security Plans.

==Headquarters==
[[File:International Maritime Organization Plaques.jpg|thumb|right|Opening and anniversary plaques of [[Elizabeth II|Queen Elizabeth II]] and model of ''[[Queen Mary 2]]'' in the lobby of the IMO Headquarters building]]
The IMO headquarters are located in a large purpose-built building facing the [[River Thames]] on the [[Albert Embankment]], in [[Lambeth]], London.<ref name=HistoryofIMO>{{cite web |url=http://www.imo.org/en/About/HistoryOfIMO/Documents/30%20years%20at%20IMO%20HQ.pdf |title=IMO History: 30 years |publisher=International Maritime Organization |access-date=27 October 2016 |archive-date=5 January 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170105235741/http://www.imo.org/en/About/HistoryOfIMO/Documents/30%20years%20at%20IMO%20HQ.pdf |url-status=dead }}</ref> The organisation moved into its new headquarters in late 1982, with the building being officially opened by [[Elizabeth II|Queen Elizabeth II]] on 17 May 1983.<ref name=HistoryofIMO/> The architects of the building were Douglass Marriott, Worby & Robinson.<ref name=MancHistory>{{cite web |url=http://manchesterhistory.net/architecture/1980/maritime.html |title=IMO Building History |publisher=International Maritime Organization |access-date=27 October 2016 |archive-date=27 October 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161027192911/http://manchesterhistory.net/architecture/1980/maritime.html |url-status=live }}</ref> The front of the building is dominated by a seven-metre high, ten-tonne bronze sculpture of the bow of a ship, with a lone seafarer maintaining a look-out.<ref name=MancHistory/> The previous headquarters of IMO were at 101 [[Piccadilly]] (now the home of the [[Embassy of Japan, London|Embassy of Japan]]), prior to that at 22 [[Berners Street]] in [[Fitzrovia]] and originally in [[Chancery Lane]].<ref name=IMOHistoryInPics>{{cite web |url=http://www.imo.org/en/About/HistoryOfIMO/Documents/IMO%20News%202008%203.pdf |title=IMO History in Pictures |publisher=International Maritime Organization |access-date=27 October 2016 |archive-date=27 October 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161027192341/http://www.imo.org/en/About/HistoryOfIMO/Documents/IMO%20News%202008%203.pdf |url-status=dead }}</ref>

==Structure==
The IMO consists of an Assembly, a Council and five main Committees.<ref name="IntroductionUKS"/> The organization is led by a Secretary-General.<ref name="IntroductionUKS"/> A number of Sub-Committees support the work of the main technical committees.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.imo.org/About/Pages/Structure.aspx |title=Structure |publisher=IMO |date=1 January 2012 |access-date=3 October 2012 |archive-date=18 February 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150218032340/http://www.imo.org/About/Pages/Structure.aspx |url-status=dead }}</ref>

===Governance of IMO===
[[File:Secretary Generals, International Maritime Organization.jpg|thumb|right|The International Maritime Organization wall honouring former Secretaries-General]]
The governing body of the International Maritime Organization is the Assembly which meets every two years. In between Assembly sessions a Council, consisting of 40 Member States elected by the Assembly, acts as the governing body. The technical work of the International Maritime Organization is carried out by a series of Committees. The Secretariat consists of some 300 international civil servants headed by a Secretary-General.<ref name="marine.gov.uk">{{cite web |url=http://www.marine.gov.uk/imo.htm |title=The International Maritime Organization |publisher=Marine.gov.uk |date=28 July 2007 |access-date=3 October 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121031163707/http://www.marine.gov.uk/imo.htm |archive-date=31 October 2012 |url-status=dead |df=dmy-all }}</ref>

The current Secretary-General is [[Arsenio Dominguez]] who took office for a four year term on 1 January 2024, having been elected in July 2023.<ref name="IMOElect">{{cite web |url=https://www.imo.org/en/MediaCentre/PressBriefings/pages/Mr--Arsenio-Dominguez-(Panama)-elected-as-IMO-Secretary-General.aspx |title=Mr Arsenio Dominguez (Panama) elected as IMO Secretary-General |publisher=International Maritime Organization |access-date=30 November 2023 |archive-date=15 December 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231215194027/https://www.imo.org/en/MediaCentre/PressBriefings/pages/Mr--Arsenio-Dominguez-(Panama)-elected-as-IMO-Secretary-General.aspx |url-status=live }}</ref> The previous Secretary-General was [[Kitack Lim]] from South Korea elected for a four-year term at the 114th session of the IMO Council in June 2015 and at the 29th session of the IMO's Assembly in November 2015. His mandate started on 1 January 2016. At the 31st session of the Assembly in 2019 he was re-appointed for a second term, ending on 31 December 2023.<ref name=NewSG1>[http://www.imo.org/MediaCentre/SecretaryGeneral/Pages/Default.aspx Personal Page of the Secretary-General] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150519065140/http://www.imo.org/MediaCentre/SecretaryGeneral/Pages/Default.aspx |date=19 May 2015 }}, accessed: 9 July 2020</ref><ref name=NewSG2>[http://www.imo.org/MediaCentre/PressBriefings/Pages/Positional-changes-at-IMO-Secretariat.aspx Press-Briefing "Positional changes at IMO Secretariat"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150512005651/http://www.imo.org/MediaCentre/PressBriefings/Pages/Positional-changes-at-IMO-Secretariat.aspx |date=12 May 2015 }}, accessed: 30 January 2012</ref>

{| class="wikitable"
|-
!Name
!Country
!Term
|-
| Ove Nielsen || {{flagicon|DEN}} Denmark || 1959-1961
|-
| William Graham<ref>acting, following death of Mr Nielsen</ref> || {{flagicon|UK}} United Kingdom || 1961-1963
|-
| Jean Roullier || {{flagicon|FRA}} France || 1964-1967
|-
| [[Colin Goad]] || {{flagicon|UK}} United Kingdom || 1968-1973
|-
| [[Chandrika Prasad Srivastava]] || {{flagicon|IND}} India || 1974-1989
|-
|| [[William A. O'Neil]] || {{flagicon|CAN}} Canada || 1990-2003
|-
| [[Efthymios Mitropoulos]] || {{flagicon|GRE}} Greece || 2004-2011
|-
| [[Koji Sekimizu]] || {{flagicon|JPN}} Japan || 2012-2015
|-
| [[Kitack Lim]] || {{flagicon|KOR}} South Korea || 2016–2023
|-
| [[Arsenio Dominguez]] || {{flagicon|PAN}} Panama || 2024-present
|}

===Technical committees===

[[File:International Maritime Organization Committee.jpg|thumb|right|An image of the main hall assembly chamber, where the MSC and MEPC committees of the International Maritime Organization meet each year]]
The technical work of the International Maritime Organisation is carried out by five principal Committees.<ref name=IMOStructure/><ref name="marine.gov.uk"/> These include:
* The Maritime Safety Committee (MSC)
* The [[Marine habitat|Marine environment]] Protection Committee (MEPC)
* The [[Legal Committee]]
* The [[Technical Cooperation Committee]], for [[capacity building]]
* The [[Facilitation Committee]], to simplify the documentation and formalities required in international shipping.<ref name="IntroductionUKS"/><ref name="Reg124">{{cite book |date=2021 |title=Regulatory Primer for Mates & Masters: Questions and Answers Covering Current and New Regulations |publisher=[[Witherby Publishing Group]] |page=116 |isbn=9781914992193}}</ref> THe Committees meet once or twice a year attended by Member States and NGOs.<ref name="Reg124"/>

====Maritime Safety Committee====
It is regulated in the Article 28(a) of the Convention on the IMO:

{{blockquote|ARTICLE 28
(a) The Maritime Safety Committee shall 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 investigation, salvage and rescue, and any other matters directly affecting maritime safety.

(b) The Maritime Safety Committee shall provide machinery for performing any duties assigned to it by this Convention, the Assembly or the Council, or any duty within the scope of this Article which may be assigned to it by or under any other international instrument and accepted by the Organization.

(c) Having regard to the provisions of Article 25, the Maritime Safety Committee, upon request by the Assembly or the Council or, if it deems such action useful in the interests of its own work, shall maintain such close relationship with other bodies as may further the purposes of the Organization}}
[[File:International Maritime Organization, Plenary Hall.jpg|thumb|right|The main Plenary Hall of the IMO, where the Maritime Safety Committee meets]]
The Maritime Safety Committee is the most senior of these and is the main Technical Committee; it oversees the work of its nine sub-committees and initiates new topics. One broad topic it deals with is the effect of the human element on [[Maritime incident|casualties]]; this work has been put to all of the sub-committees, but meanwhile, the Maritime Safety Committee has developed a code for the management of ships which will ensure that agreed operational procedures are in place and followed by the ship and shore-side staff.<ref name="marine.gov.uk"/>

====Sub-Committees====
The MSC and MEPC are assisted in their work by a number of sub-committees which are open to all Member States.<ref name=IMOStructure>{{cite web |url=http://www.imo.org/en/About/Pages/Structure.aspx |title=Structure of IMO |publisher=International Maritime Organization |access-date=25 October 2016 |archive-date=10 October 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161010104456/http://www.imo.org/en/About/Pages/Structure.aspx |url-status=live }}</ref> The committees are:

* Sub-Committee on Human Element, Training and Watchkeeping (HTW)
* Sub-Committee on Implementation of IMO Instruments (III)
* Sub-Committee on Navigation, Communications and Search and Rescue (NCSR)
* Sub-Committee on Pollution Prevention and Response (PPR)
* Sub-Committee on Ship Design and Construction (SDC)
* Sub-Committee on Ship Systems and Equipment (SSE)
* Sub-Committee on Carriage of Cargoes and Containers (CCC).<ref name="IntroductionUKS"/><ref name="Reg124"/>

The names of the IMO sub-committees were changed in 2013.<ref name=IMOStructure/> Prior to 2013 there were nine Sub-Committees as follows:

* Bulk Liquids and Gases (BLG)
* Carriage of Dangerous Goods, Solid Cargoes and Containers(DSC)
* Fire Protection (FP)
* Radio-communications and Search and Rescue (COMSAR)
* Safety of Navigation (NAV)
* Ship Design and Equipment (DE)
* Stability and Load Lines and Fishing Vessels Safety (SLF)
* Standards of Training and Watchkeeping (STW)
* Flag State Implementation (FSI)

==Membership==
To become a member of the IMO, a state ratifies a multilateral treaty known as the Convention on the International Maritime Organization. As of 2024, there are 176<ref name=Membership>{{cite web |url=https://www.imo.org/en/About/Membership/Pages/default.aspx |title=Membership |publisher=International Maritime Organization |access-date=20 Mar 2020 |archive-date=12 March 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200312061342/http://www.imo.org/en/About/Membership/Pages/Default.aspx |url-status=live }}</ref> member states of the IMO, which includes [[Member states of the United Nations|175 of the UN member states]] plus the [[Cook Islands]]. The first state to ratify the convention was Canada in 1948. 

These are the current members with the year they joined:
{{clear}}
{{Div col|colwidth=16em}}
*{{flag|Albania}} (1993)
*{{flag|Algeria}} (1963)
*{{flag|Angola}} (1977)
*{{flag|Antigua and Barbuda}} (1986)
*{{flag|Argentina}} (1953)
*{{flag|Armenia}} (2018)
*{{flag|Australia}} (1952)
*{{flag|Austria}} (1975)
*{{flag|Azerbaijan}} (1995)
*{{flag|Bahamas}} (1976)
*{{flag|Bahrain}} (1976)
*{{flag|Bangladesh}} (1976)
*{{flag|Barbados}} (1970)
*{{flag|Belarus}} (2016)
*{{flag|Belgium}} (1951)
*{{flag|Belize}} (1990)
*{{flag|Benin}} (1980)
*{{flag|Bolivia}} (1987)
*{{flag|Bosnia and Herzegovina}} (1993)
*{{flag|Botswana}} (2021)
*{{flag|Brazil}} (1963)
*{{flag|Brunei Darussalam}} (1984)
*{{flag|Bulgaria}} (1960)
*{{flag|Cabo Verde}} (1976)
*{{flag|Cambodia}} (1961)
*{{flag|Cameroon}} (1961)
*{{flag|Canada}} (1948)
*{{flag|Chile}} (1972)
*{{flag|China}} (1973)
*{{flag|Colombia}} (1974)
*{{flag|Comoros}} (2001)
*{{flag|Congo}} (1975)
*{{flag|Cook Islands}} (2008)
*{{flag|Costa Rica}} (1981)
*{{flag|Côte d'Ivoire}} (1960)
*{{flag|Croatia}} (1992)
*{{flag|Cuba}} (1966)
*{{flag|Cyprus}} (1973)
*{{flag|Czechia}} (1993)
*{{flag|Democratic People's Republic of Korea}} (1986)
*{{flag|Democratic Republic of the Congo}} (1973)
*{{flag|Denmark}} (1959)
*{{flag|Djibouti}} (1979)
*{{flag|Dominica}} (1979)
*{{flag|Dominican Republic}} (1953)
*{{flag|Ecuador}} (1956)
*{{flag|Egypt}} (1958)
*{{flag|El Salvador}} (1981)
*{{flag|Equatorial Guinea}} (1972)
*{{flag|Eritrea}} (1993)
*{{flag|Estonia}} (1992)
*{{flag|Ethiopia}} (1975)
*{{flag|Fiji}} (1983)
*{{flag|Finland}} (1959)
*{{flag|France}} (1952)
*{{flag|Gabon}} (1976)
*{{flag|Gambia}} (1979)
*{{flag|Georgia}} (1993)
*{{flag|Germany}} (1959)
*{{flag|Ghana}} (1959)
*{{flag|Greece}} (1958)
*{{flag|Grenada}} (1998)
*{{flag|Guatemala}} (1983)
*{{flag|Guinea}} (1975)
*{{flag|Guinea-Bissau}} (1977)
*{{flag|Guyana}} (1980)
*{{flag|Haiti}} (1953)
*{{flag|Honduras}} (1954)
*{{flag|Hungary}} (1970)
*{{flag|Iceland}} (1960)
*{{flag|India}} (1959)
*{{flag|Indonesia}} (1961)
*{{flag|Iran}} (1958)
*{{flag|Iraq}} (1973)
*{{flag|Ireland}} (1951)
*{{flag|Israel}} (1952)
*{{flag|Italy}} (1957)
*{{flag|Jamaica}} (1976)
*{{flag|Japan}} (1958)
*{{flag|Jordan}} (1973)
*{{flag|Kazakhstan}} (1994)
*{{flag|Kenya}} (1973)
*{{flag|Kiribati}} (2003)
*{{flag|Kuwait}} (1960)
*{{flag|Kyrgyzstan}} (2024)
*{{flag|Latvia}} (1993)
*{{flag|Lebanon}} (1966)
*{{flag|Liberia}} (1959)
*{{flag|Libya}} (1970)
*{{flag|Lithuania}} (1995)
*{{flag|Luxembourg}} (1991)
*{{flag|Madagascar}} (1961)
*{{flag|Malawi}} (1989)
*{{flag|Malaysia}} (1971)
*{{flag|Maldives}} (1967)
*{{flag|Malta}} (1966)
*{{flag|Marshall Islands}} (1998)
*{{flag|Mauritania}} (1961)
*{{flag|Mauritius}} (1978)
*{{flag|Mexico}} (1954)
*{{flag|Monaco}} (1989)
*{{flag|Mongolia}} (1996)
*{{flag|Montenegro}} (2006)
*{{flag|Morocco}} (1962)
*{{flag|Mozambique}} (1979)
*{{flag|Myanmar}} (1951)
*{{flag|Namibia}} (1994)
*{{flag|Nauru}} (2018)
*{{flag|Nepal}} (1979)
*{{flag|Netherlands}} (1949)
*{{flag|New Zealand}} (1960)
*{{flag|Nicaragua}} (1982)
*{{flag|Nigeria}} (1962)
*{{flag|North Macedonia}} (1993)
*{{flag|Norway}} (1958)
*{{flag|Oman}} (1974)
*{{flag|Pakistan}} (1958)
*{{flag|Palau}} (2011)
*{{flag|Panama}} (1958)
*{{flag|Papua New Guinea}} (1976)
*{{flag|Paraguay}} (1993)
*{{flag|Peru}} (1968)
*{{flag|Philippines}} (1964)
*{{flag|Poland}} (1960)
*{{flag|Portugal}} (1976)
*{{flag|Qatar}} (1977)
*{{flag|Republic of Korea}} (1962)
*{{flag|Republic of Moldova}} (2001)
*{{flag|Romania}} (1965)
*{{flag|Russian Federation}} (1958)
*{{flag|Saint Kitts and Nevis}} (2001)
*{{flag|Saint Lucia}} (1980)
*{{flag|Saint Vincent and the Grenadines}} (1981)
*{{flag|Samoa}} (1996)
*{{flag|San Marino}} (2002)
*{{flag|São Tomé and Príncipe}} (1990)
*{{flag|Saudi Arabia}} (1969)
*{{flag|Senegal}} (1960)
*{{flag|Serbia}} (2000)
*{{flag|Seychelles}} (1978)
*{{flag|Sierra Leone}} (1973)
*{{flag|Singapore}} (1966)
*{{flag|Slovakia}} (1993)
*{{flag|Slovenia}} (1993)
*{{flag|Solomon Islands}} (1988)
*{{flag|Somalia}} (1978)
*{{flag|South Africa}} (1995)
*{{flag|Spain}} (1962)
*{{flag|Sri Lanka}} (1972)
*{{flag|Sudan}} (1974)
*{{flag|Suriname}} (1976)
*{{flag|Sweden}} (1959)
*{{flag|Switzerland}} (1955)
*{{flag|Syria}} (1963)
*{{flag|Tanzania}} (1974)
*{{flag|Thailand}} (1973)
*{{flag|Timor-Leste}} (2005)
*{{flag|Togo}} (1983)
*{{flag|Tonga}} (2000)
*{{flag|Trinidad and Tobago}} (1965)
*{{flag|Tunisia}} (1963)
*{{flag|Turkey}} (1958)
*{{flag|Turkmenistan}} (1993)
*{{flag|Tuvalu}} (2004)
*{{flag|Uganda}} (2009)
*{{flag|Ukraine}} (1994)
*{{flag|United Arab Emirates}} (1980)
*{{flag|United Kingdom}} (1949)
*{{flag|United States of America}} (1950)
*{{flag|Uruguay}} (1968)
*{{flag|Vanuatu}} (1986)
*{{flag|Venezuela}} (1975)
*{{flag|Viet Nam}} (1984)
*{{flag|Yemen}} (1979)
*{{flag|Zambia}} (2014)
*{{flag|Zimbabwe}} (2005)
*{{flag|Kyrgyzstan}} (2024)
{{div col end}}

The three associate members of the IMO are the [[Faroe Islands]], Hong Kong and [[Macau]].

In 1961, the territories of [[Sabah]] and [[Sarawak]], which had been included through the participation of United Kingdom, became joint associate members.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://treaties.un.org/doc/Publication/CN/1961/CN.144.1961-Eng.pdf |title=United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and Federation of Malaya, North Boreno, Sarawak and Singapore Agreement relating to Malaysia (with annexes including the Constitutions of the States of Sabah, Sarawak and Singapore, the Malaysia Immigration Bill and the Agreement the Governments of the Federation of Malaya and Singapore on common market and financial arrangements). Signed at London on 9 July 1963 |series=United Nations Treaty Series |access-date=26 August 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181103191442/https://treaties.un.org/doc/Publication/CN/1961/CN.144.1961-Eng.pdf |archive-date=3 November 2018 |url-status=live }}</ref> In 1963 they became part of Malaysia.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://treaties.un.org/doc/publication/unts/volume%2520750/volume-750-i-10760-english.pdf |title=Convention on the Inter-Governmental Maritime Consultative Organization Done at Geneva on 6 March 1948 |publisher=United Nations |date=13 November 1961 |access-date=27 November 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190607171210/https://treaties.un.org/doc/publication/unts/volume%20750/volume-750-i-10760-english.pdf |archive-date=7 June 2019 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

The most recent members to join were [[Armenia]] and [[Nauru]] (which became IMO members in January and May 2018, respectively). [[Botswana]], joined the IMO in October 2021.<ref name=IMO>{{cite web |url=http://www.imo.org/en/About/Membership/Pages/MemberStates.aspx |title=Member States |publisher=International Maritime Organization |access-date=7 March 2024 |archive-date=13 May 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190513180534/http://www.imo.org/en/About/Membership/Pages/MemberStates.aspx |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name=IMOBotswana>{{cite web|url=https://www.imo.org/en/MediaCentre/Pages/WhatsNew-1648.aspx#:~:text=The%20Republic%20of%20Botswana%20has,Nations%20on%2022%20October%202021.|title=WhatsnewNews|publisher=International Maritime Organization|access-date=25 November 2021|archive-date=13 November 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211113071218/https://www.imo.org/en/MediaCentre/Pages/WhatsNew-1648.aspx#:~:text=The%20Republic%20of%20Botswana%20has,Nations%20on%2022%20October%202021.|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="Botswana">{{cite web|url=https://www.hellenicshippingnews.com/imo-welcomes-175th-member-state/|title=IMO Welcomes 175th Member States|publisher=Hellenic Shipping News|access-date=25 November 2021|archive-date=25 November 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211125225830/https://www.hellenicshippingnews.com/imo-welcomes-175th-member-state/|url-status=live}}</ref> On 27 February 2024, [[Kyrgyzstan]] became the 176th Member State of the organization.<ref name=IMOKyrgyz>{{cite web |url=https://www.imo.org/en/MediaCentre/Pages/WhatsNew-2046.aspx |title=IMO welcomes 176th Member State |publisher=International Maritime Organization |access-date=7 March 2024 |archive-date=11 March 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240311175501/https://www.imo.org/en/MediaCentre/Pages/WhatsNew-2046.aspx |url-status=live }}</ref>

Most UN member states that are not members of IMO are landlocked countries. These include Afghanistan, Andorra, Bhutan, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Central African Republic, Chad, Eswatini, Laos, Lesotho, Liechtenstein, Mali, Niger, Rwanda, South Sudan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan.  The [[Federated States of Micronesia]], an island-nation in the Pacific Ocean, is also a non-member. [[Taiwan]] is neither a member of the IMO nor of the UN, although it has a major shipping industry.

==Legal instruments==
{{Admiralty law}}
IMO is the source of approximately 60 legal instruments that guide the regulatory development of its member states to improve safety at sea, facilitate trade among seafaring states and protect the maritime environment. The most well known is the [[SOLAS Convention|International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea]] (SOLAS), as well as [[MARPOL 73/78|International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships]] (MARPOL). Others include the International Oil Pollution Compensation Funds (IOPC).<ref name="iocp">{{cite web|title=About us|url=http://www.iopcfunds.org/about-us/|publisher=International Oil Compensation Funds|access-date=3 May 2016|archive-date=28 April 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160428100338/http://www.iopcfunds.org/about-us|url-status=live}}</ref> It also functions as a depository of yet to be ratified treaties, such as the International Convention on Liability and Compensation for Damage in Connection with the Carriage of Hazardous and Noxious Substances by Sea, 1996 ([[HNS Convention]]) and Nairobi International Convention of Removal of Wrecks (2007).<ref name="Removal of Wrecks">{{citation|url=http://www.official-documents.gov.uk/document/cm82/8243/8243.pdf | title=Nairobi International Convention on Removal of Wrecks|access-date=10 February 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120406111328/http://www.official-documents.gov.uk/document/cm82/8243/8243.pdf|archive-date=6 April 2012|url-status=live}}</ref>

IMO regularly enacts regulations, which are broadly enforced by national and local maritime authorities in member countries, such as the [[International Regulations for Preventing Collisions at Sea]] (COLREG). The IMO has also enacted a [[Port state control]] (PSC) authority, allowing domestic maritime authorities such as [[coast guard]]s to inspect foreign-flag ships calling at ports of the many port states. Memoranda of Understanding (protocols) were signed by some countries unifying Port State Control procedures among the signatories.<ref name="IntroductionUKS"/>

Conventions, Codes and Regulations:
*[[MARPOL 73/78|MARPOL Convention]]<ref name="21stCentury623">{{cite book |date=2015 |title=21st Century Seamanship |location=Edinburgh |publisher=[[Witherby Publishing Group]] |page=623 |isbn=9781856096324}}</ref>
**[[Marpol Annex I]]
*[[SOLAS Convention]]<ref name="21stCentury639">{{cite book |date=2015 |title=21st Century Seamanship |location=Edinburgh |publisher=[[Witherby Publishing Group]] |page=639 |isbn=9781856096324}}</ref>
**[[International Maritime Dangerous Goods Code|IMDG Code]]<ref name="21stCentury607">{{cite book |date=2015 |title=21st Century Seamanship |location=Edinburgh |publisher=[[Witherby Publishing Group]] |page=607|isbn=9781856096324}}</ref>
**[[International Safety Management Code|ISM Code]]<ref name="21stCentury614">{{cite book |date=2015 |title=21st Century Seamanship |location=Edinburgh |publisher=[[Witherby Publishing Group]] |page=614 |isbn=9781856096324}}</ref>
**[[International Ship and Port Facility Security Code|ISPS Code]]<ref name="21stCentury616">{{cite book |date=2015 |title=21st Century Seamanship |location=Edinburgh |publisher=[[Witherby Publishing Group]] |page=616 |isbn=9781856096324}}</ref>
**[[International Code for Ships Operating in Polar Waters|Polar Code]]<ref name="Reg116">{{cite book |date=2021 |title=Regulatory Primer for Mates & Masters: Questions and Answers Covering Current and New Regulations |publisher=[[Witherby Publishing Group]] |page=116 |isbn=9781914992193}}</ref> 
**[[International Code of Safety for Ships Using Gases or Other Low-flashpoint Fuels|IGF Code]]<ref name="Reg132">{{cite book |date=2021 |title=Regulatory Primer for Mates & Masters: Questions and Answers Covering Current and New Regulations |publisher=[[Witherby Publishing Group]] |page=132 |isbn=9781914992193}}</ref> 
**[[International Code of the Construction and Equipment of Ships Carrying Liquefied Gases in Bulk|IGC Code]]<ref name="21stCentury605">{{cite book |date=2015 |title=21st Century Seamanship |location=Edinburgh |publisher=[[Witherby Publishing Group]] |page=605 |isbn=9781856096324}}</ref>
**[[Code of Safe Practice for Ships Carrying Timber Deck Cargoes|TDC Code]]<ref name="21stCentury646">{{cite book |date=2015 |title=21st Century Seamanship |location=Edinburgh |publisher=[[Witherby Publishing Group]] |page=646 |isbn=9781856096324}}</ref>
**[[International Code on Intact Stability]]
**[[International Code for the Safe Carriage of Grain in Bulk|International Grain Code]]<ref name="Reg7">{{cite book |date=2021 |title=Regulatory Primer for Mates & Masters: Questions and Answers Covering Current and New Regulations |publisher=[[Witherby Publishing Group]] |page=7 |isbn=9781914992193}}</ref>
**[[International Maritime Solid Bulk Cargoes Code|IMSBC Code]]<ref name="21stCentury">{{cite book |date=2015 |title=21st Century Seamanship |location=Edinburgh |publisher=[[Witherby Publishing Group]] |page=609-611 |isbn=9781856096324}}</ref>
*[[STCW Convention]]<ref name="21stCentury642">{{cite book |date=2015 |title=21st Century Seamanship |location=Edinburgh |publisher=[[Witherby Publishing Group]] |page=642 |isbn=9781856096324}}</ref>
*[[International Code of Signals]], mandatory for carriage on ships and used for communications between all ships, including merchant vessels and naval vessels<ref name="Reg141">{{cite book |date=2021 |title=Regulatory Primer for Mates & Masters: Questions and Answers Covering Current and New Regulations |publisher=[[Witherby Publishing Group]] |page=141 |isbn=9781914992193}}</ref>
*[[Ballast Water Management Convention|International Ballast Water Management Convention]] (BWM Convention)<ref name="21stCentury587">{{cite book |date=2015 |title=21st Century Seamanship |location=Edinburgh |publisher=[[Witherby Publishing Group]] |page=587 |isbn=9781856096324}}</ref>
*[[International Convention on Civil Liability for Oil Pollution Damage]] (CLC Convention)
*[[International Convention on Maritime Search and Rescue]] (SAR Convention)
*[[International Convention on Oil Pollution Preparedness, Response and Co-operation]] (OPRC)
*[[HNS Convention]]<ref name="21stCentury599">{{cite book |date=2015 |title=21st Century Seamanship |location=Edinburgh |publisher=[[Witherby Publishing Group]] |page=599 |isbn=9781856096324}}</ref>
*[[International Regulations for Preventing Collisions at Sea]] (COLREG)
*[[International Convention on Load Lines]] (CLL)<ref name="21stCentury619">{{cite book |date=2015 |title=21st Century Seamanship |location=Edinburgh |publisher=[[Witherby Publishing Group]] |page=619 |isbn=9781856096324}}</ref>
*[[International Convention on the Establishment of an International Fund for Compensation for Oil Pollution Damage]] (FUND92)
*[[Convention for the Suppression of Unlawful Acts against the Safety of Maritime Navigation]] (SUA Convention)
*[[International Convention on the Control of Harmful Anti-fouling Systems on Ships]] (AFS Convention)<ref name="21stCentury582">{{cite book |date=2015 |title=21st Century Seamanship |location=Edinburgh |publisher=[[Witherby Publishing Group]] |page=582 |isbn=9781856096324}}</ref>
*[[Athens Convention]] (PAL)<ref name="Reg129">{{cite book |date=2021 |title=Regulatory Primer for Mates & Masters: Questions and Answers Covering Current and New Regulations |publisher=[[Witherby Publishing Group]] |page=129 |isbn=9781914992193}}</ref>
*[[Nairobi International Convention on the Removal of Wrecks]]
*The Casualty Investigation Code - enacted through Resolution MSC.255(84), of 16 May 2008. The full title is ''Code of the International Standards and Recommended Practices for a Safety Investigation into a [[Maritime incident|maritime casualty]] or incident''.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.mpa.gov.sg/sites/circulars_and_notices/pdfs/shipping_circulars/sc08-13a.pdf |title=RESOLUTION MSC.255(84) |access-date=3 October 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120301042638/http://www.mpa.gov.sg/sites/circulars_and_notices/pdfs/shipping_circulars/sc08-13a.pdf |archive-date=1 March 2012 |df=dmy-all }}</ref>

==Current priorities==
Recent initiatives at the IMO have included amendments to [[SOLAS Convention|SOLAS]], which among other things, included upgraded [[fire protection]] standards on [[passenger ship]]s, the [[STCW Convention|International Convention on Standards of Training, Certification and Watchkeeping for Seamen(STCW)]] which establishes basic requirements on training, certification and watchkeeping for seafarers and to the Convention on the Prevention of Maritime Pollution ([[MARPOL 73/78]]), which required double hulls on all [[Tanker (ship)|tankers]].

The IMO's [[e-Navigation]] system has harmonised marine navigation systems with supporting shore services, as available to seamen and shore-side traffic services called. An e-Navigation strategy was ratified in 2005, and an implementation plan was developed through three IMO sub-committees. The plan was completed by 2014 and implemented in November of that year.<ref>{{cite web|title=[Navigation Strategy]|url=http://www.itsnorge.no/maritim/IMOE-Navigationstrategy.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130516233627/http://www.itsnorge.no/maritim/IMOE-Navigationstrategy.html|date=16 May 2013|archive-date=2013-05-16|lang=no}}</ref> IMO has also served as a key partner and enabler of US international and interagency efforts to establish [[maritime domain awareness]].{{citation needed|date=April 2024}}

===Environmental issues===
The IMO has a role in tackling international [[climate change]]. The First Intersessional Meeting of IMO's Working Group on Greenhouse Gas Emissions from Ships took place in Oslo, Norway (23–27 June 2008), tasked with developing the technical basis for the reduction mechanisms that may form part of a future IMO regime to control [[greenhouse gas emissions]] from international shipping, and a draft of the actual reduction mechanisms themselves, for further consideration by IMO's Marine Environment Protection Committee (MEPC).<ref>[http://www.sustainableshipping.com/news/2008/06/72085?gsid=bd38b351cb4e396c6349848dcc49aaf2&asi=1 SustainableShipping: (S) News – IMO targets greenhouse gas emissions (17 Jun 2008) – The forum dedicated to marine transportation and the environment<!-- Bot generated title -->]{{dead link|date=April 2017 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> The IMO participated in the [[2015 United Nations Climate Change Conference]] in Paris seeking to establish itself as the "appropriate international body to address greenhouse gas emissions from ships engaged in international trade".<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.imo.org/en/OurWork/Environment/PollutionPrevention/AirPollution/Pages/IMO-at-COP21.aspx |title=IMO at COP21 statement |work=IMO |date=2015 |access-date=December 31, 2019 |archive-date=22 October 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161022141906/http://www.imo.org/en/OurWork/Environment/PollutionPrevention/AirPollution/Pages/IMO-at-COP21.aspx |url-status=dead }}</ref> Nonetheless, there has been widespread criticism of the IMO's relative inaction since the conclusion of the Paris conference, with the initial data-gathering step of a three-stage process to reduce maritime greenhouse emissions expected to last until 2020.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.climatechangenews.com/2016/07/15/offshore-carbon-why-a-climate-deal-for-shipping-is-sinking/ |title=Offshore Carbon: Why a Climate Deal for Shipping is Sinking (Climate Home) |access-date=1 August 2016 |archive-date=24 July 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160724113932/http://www.climatechangenews.com/2016/07/15/offshore-carbon-why-a-climate-deal-for-shipping-is-sinking/ |url-status=live }}</ref> In 2018, the [[Initial IMO Strategy on the reduction of GHG emissions from ships]] was adopted.<ref name="Kopela2020">{{cite book |last1=Kopela |first1=Sophia |editor1-last=McDonald |editor1-first=Jan |editor2-last=McGee |editor2-first=Jeffrey |editor3-last=Barnes |editor3-first=Richard |title=Research Handbook on Climate Change, Oceans and Coasts |date=25 December 2020 |publisher=Edward Elgar Publishing |isbn=9781788112239 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=1iwNEAAAQBAJ |chapter=Climate Change and the International Maritime Organization |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=1iwNEAAAQBAJ&pg=PA141 |pages=141–142}}</ref> In 2021, ''The New York Times'' wrote that the IMO "has repeatedly delayed and watered down climate regulations".<ref>{{Cite news|last1=Apuzzo|first1=Matt|last2=Hurtes|first2=Sarah|date=2021-06-03|title=Tasked to Fight Climate Change, a Secretive U.N. Agency Does the Opposite|language=en-US|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2021/06/03/world/europe/climate-change-un-international-maritime-organization.html|access-date=2021-06-03|issn=0362-4331|archive-date=3 June 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210603134332/https://www.nytimes.com/2021/06/03/world/europe/climate-change-un-international-maritime-organization.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

The IMO has also taken action to mitigate the global effects of ballast water and sediment discharge, through the 2004 [[Ballast Water Management Convention]], which entered into force in September 2017.<ref name="IMO-BWM-media">{{cite web|url= http://www.imo.org/en/MediaCentre/HotTopics/BWM/Pages/default.aspx|title= Ballast water management - the control of harmful invasive species|publisher= International Maritime Organization|access-date= 7 July 2017|archive-date= 17 February 2019|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20190217214233/http://www.imo.org/en/MediaCentre/HotTopics/BWM/Pages/default.aspx|url-status= dead}}</ref>

In December 2023 the IMO adopted a resolution targeting "dark fleet" tankers that form a risk by undertaking illegal and unsafe activities at sea. Primarily working for Iran and Russia to breach international sanctions, the tankers, many of which are elderly and unreliable, often undertake mid ocean transfers in an attempt to evade sanctions. The resolution calls upon flag states to “adhere to measures which lawfully prohibit or regulate” the transfer of cargoes at sea, known as ship-to-ship transfers.<ref>{{cite web |title=IMO assembly adopts 'dark fleet' resolution to tackle 'illegal operations' |url=https://www.lloydslist.com/LL1147532/IMO-assembly-adopts-dark-fleet-resolution-to-tackle-illegal-operations |date=6 December 2023 |access-date=7 December 2023 |archive-date=7 December 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231207200132/https://www.lloydslist.com/LL1147532/IMO-assembly-adopts-dark-fleet-resolution-to-tackle-illegal-operations |url-status=live }}</ref>

===Fishing safety===
The IMO [[Cape Town Agreement]] is an international International Maritime Organization legal instrument established in 2012, that sets out minimum safety requirements for [[Fishing vessel|fishing vessels]] of 24 metres in length and over or equivalent in gross tons.<ref name="IMOCapeTown">{{cite web |url=https://www.imo.org/en/MediaCentre/HotTopics/Pages/CapeTownAgreementForFishing.aspx |title=2012 Cape Town Agreement to enhance fishing safety |publisher=International Maritime Organization |access-date=1 November 2022 |archive-date=1 November 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221101104203/https://www.imo.org/en/MediaCentre/HotTopics/Pages/CapeTownAgreementForFishing.aspx |url-status=live }}</ref> As of 2022, the Agreement is not yet in force but the IMO is encouraging more member States to ratify the Agreement.<ref name="IMOCapeTown"/>

==See also==
{{Portal|Politics}}
* [[Active Shipbuilding Experts' Federation]]
* [[IMO number]]
* [[International Hydrographic Organization]]
* [[International Maritime Law Institute]]
* [[International Maritime Rescue Federation]]
* [[United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea]]
* [[Standard Marine Communication Phrases]] developed by the IMO, to improve safety at sea
* [[NAVAREA]]

==Notes and references==
{{Reflist}}

==Further reading==
* {{cite web |url=https://www.imo.org/en/About/Conventions/Pages/Convention-on-the-International-Maritime-Organization.aspx |title=Convention on the International Maritime Organization |date=6 March 1948 |publisher=International Maritime Organization |access-date=11 September 2023 |archive-date=9 February 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220209222342/https://www.imo.org/en/About/Conventions/Pages/Convention-on-the-International-Maritime-Organization.aspx |url-status=live }}
* {{cite journal |first1=Jack |last1=Corbett |first2=Mélodie |last2=Ruwet |first3=Yi-Chong |last3=Xu |first4=Patrick |last4=Weller |date=2020 |doi=10.1080/09644016.2019.1705057 |title=Climate governance, policy entrepreneurs and small states: explaining policy change at the International Maritime Organisation |journal=Environmental Politics |volume=29 |issue=5 |pages=825–844 |bibcode=2020EnvPo..29..825C |s2cid=212837341 |url=https://eprints.soton.ac.uk/436873/1/FENP_2019_0073_Corbett_ED.docx |hdl=10072/390551 |hdl-access=free |access-date=4 October 2022 |archive-date=23 March 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230323163703/https://eprints.soton.ac.uk/436873/1/FENP_2019_0073_Corbett_ED.docx |url-status=live }}
* {{cite book |last=Mankabady |first=Samir |date=1986 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=UUcOAAAAQAAJ&q=International+Maritime+Organization |title=The International Maritime Organization |location=London |publisher=[[Routledge]] |isbn=978-0-7099-3591-9}}
* {{cite book |last1=Nordquist |first1=Myron H. |first2=John Morton |last2=Moore |date=1999 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=XHK3-esL7akC&q=International+Maritime+Organization |title=Current Maritime Issues and the International Maritime Organization |location=The Hague |publisher=[[Martinus Nijhoff Publishers]] |isbn=978-90-411-1293-4 |oclc=42652709}}

==External links==
* {{Official website|https://www.imo.org/}}

{{United Nations}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:International Maritime Organization| ]]
[[Category:International organisations based in London]]
[[Category:International water transport]]
[[Category:Organisations based in the London Borough of Lambeth]]
[[Category:Organizations established in 1948]]
[[Category:United Nations specialized agencies]]
[[Category:Water transport organizations]]
[[Category:United Kingdom and the United Nations]]