International Maritime Organization, Essay Example

Introduction

Shipping is fairly regarded as the most international of all industries and the critical element of the international trade landscape. Owning and maintaining a ship is not an easy task: a whole range of international shipping standards needs to be followed, to secure countries, ships, populations, and the environment from the negative effects of the global shipping and trade activity. The International Maritime Organization (IMO) is an international agency devoted solely to maritime affairs and providing the space for cooperation among governments, governmental institutions, and national maritime organizations in the field of maritime regulations and international shipping activity. Since the beginning of the 1960s, IMO has facilitated the adoption of numerous treaties, regulations, technical measures, and universal standards of safety and efficiency in maritime operations. Today, IMO can become the basic driver in the development and adoption of standards and measures aimed at enhancing environmental protection and reducing the negative effects of shipping and international trade operations on the environment.

The history of maritime treaties dates back to the beginning of the 19th century (IMO). The rapid growth of the maritime industry and international trade urged governments and ship owners to adopt international standards of shipping operations. The tragic Titanic disaster indicated the need to create and implement a new set of safety norms, to avoid similar disasters in the future. In 1948, International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS) was adopted, to become the most important international treaty concerning merchant ships’ safety. The Convention also established the International Maritime Organization (IMO), with the first meeting of the IMO members taking place in 1959. Since that time, IMO has been working to develop and maintain a well-functioning regulatory framework in the field of shipping and trade operations. As of today, these regulations cover safety and environmental concerns, technical cooperation and legal matters, as well as maritime security and shipping efficiency. IMO is based in the United Kingdom. 169 states are current members of IMO (IMO).

The International Maritime Organization has a well-developed organizational structure and consists of an Assembly, a Council and five different Committees. The Assembly is the highest organizational and governing body of IMO and consists of all member states that meet once in two years at regular sessions. The Assembly votes the budget, approves the work program, determines financial arrangements, takes financial decisions, and elects the Council. The Council exemplifies the executive branch of the IMO’s organizational structure and is responsible for supervising the work of the whole organization. The basic functions of IMO include coordinating all organization bodies’ activities, developing draft programs and budgets, appointing the Secretary-General, taking decisions regarding IMO’s participation in various treaties and international trade processes. The five IMO Committees include Maritime Safety Committee, Marine Environment Protection Committee, Technical Cooperation Committee, Facilitation Committee, and Legal Committee. The IMO Secretariat includes the Secretary-General and around 300 personnel around the world. The budget for the period of 2010-2011 was approved at the point of £61,151,200. The main budget contributors are Panama, Liberia, Bahamas, and the Marshall Islands (IMO).

IMO is the sole United Nations’ agency exclusively devoted to the management, organization, and resolution of maritime conflicts and affairs. The IMO achievements in the field of international maritime and trade regulations are difficult to underestimate: since the middle of the 20th century, more than 50 treaties have been signed and over 800 codes have been adopted, to guide the development and implementation of effective international trade and shipping regulations. IMO has all mechanisms in place necessary for the development, adoption and implementation of international rules and regulations in the field of maritime and international trade activity. That IMO’s political and trade mandate is widely accepted and legitimized is difficult to deny: 169 states are regular members of IMO; all members participate in all IMO meetings and take cooperative decisions for or against the adoption of recommendations and regulations regarding safety, security, and environmental efficiency of various maritime operations; all states, regardless of their membership status, are invited to participate in the development and implementation of various IMO conventions (United Nations).

Needless to say, most IMO treaties, regulations, and decisions are directed at the minimization and elimination of security and safety threats in maritime operations. The minimization of the environmental pollution is one of the basic IMO tasks. However, the scope of IMO activity is not limited to adopting and passing the rules of the international trade conduct: the organization attaches the highest priority to ensuring that these rules and regulations are properly implemented and work for the benefit of the global community. To meet this purpose, IMO constantly monitors how states, shipowners, shipbuilders, and other stakeholders manage their capacities and fulfill their obligations. The Cooperation Committee works to ensure that available resources are channeled and used in ways, which align the goals and objectives of shipping with the international safety, security, and environmental protection standards (United Nations).

The International Maritime Organization can become the basic driver in the development and implementation of international regulations aimed at minimizing negative environmental pollution in shipping and international trade. It would be fair to say that environmental protection has already become one of the basic IMO strategic and tactical goals. At the beginning of 2010, IMO has accepted the proposal to establish a Vessel Efficiency System (Marine Environment Protection Committee). The proposal reflects the basic principles of IMO cooperation with other organizations and marks the beginning of the new safety stage in the evolution of global shipping. Proposed and submitted by the World Shipping Council, the document justifies the need to establish new efficiency design standards for the new and existing vessels, to assess the charges for those vessels that fail to meet applicable standards, and to establish a fund for the charges collected from such vessels (Marine Environment Protection Committee). The authors are confident that by combining vessel efficiency with the fund concept, they will be able to provide better financial incentives to vessel owners and operators to invest more resources in the vessels’ efficiency improvement (Marine Environment Protection Committee). Given the complexity of the environmental situation, the increasing number of vessels, and the growing scope of the global trade, this proposal is, probably, the first step toward establishing a new environmental vision of international maritime operations. Yet, it is clear that years will pass before IMO can guarantee the safety and environmental efficiency of shipping strategies and the security of the global maritime operations.

Conclusion

Shipping is a crucial element of the international trade landscape. The globalization of the international trade operations requires that shipowners, shipbuilders, and other stakeholders operate within a well-developed, comprehensive regulatory framework. International maritime regulations and standards must promote better security, safety, and efficiency of global trade operations. The International Maritime Organization was created as an international agency devoted solely to maritime affairs. Today, 169 countries are regular members of IMO. The organization develops, adopts, and monitors the process of implementing international safety, security, and efficiency standards in the field of shipping activity. IMO has a potential to become the basic driver in the development of the international environmental regulations, aimed at minimizing the negative environmental effects of the global trade.

Works Cited

IMO. “Introduction to IMO.” International Maritime Organization. 2010. Web. 12 September 2010.

Marine Environment Protection Committee. “Prevention of Air Pollution from Ships.” World Shipping, 15 January 2010. Web. 12 September 2010.

United Nations. “Contribution of the International Maritime Organization (IMO) to the Secretary-General’s Report on Oceans and the Law of the Sea.” The United Nations, 2008. Web. 12 September 2010.