The IMO ‘s structure comprises the Assembly, the Council, the Maritime Safety Committee, the Marine Environment Protection Committee, the Legal Committee, the Technical Cooperation Committee, and the secretariat, headed by a Secretary-General .
Assembly
The governing body of the IMO is the Assembly, composed of all IMO members. The Assembly determines the work program and votes on the budget to which all members contribute. It meets once every two years in regular sessions, but may besides meet in extraordinary seance if necessary .
Council
between sessions of the Assembly, the Council performs all functions of the constitution except that of recommending the borrowing of maritime condom regulations, a prerogative of the Maritime Safety Committee. The Council besides has an important policymaking function. Drafts of external instruments and formal recommendations must be approved by the Council before they can be submitted to the Assembly.
The Council is made up of 40 members elected by the Assembly for biennial terms : ten members represent states with the largest international ship services ; ten represent states with the largest international seaborne trade ; and 20 constitute states, not elected under the waive categories, that have extra interests in maritime tape drive or seafaring and whose bearing in the Council will ensure representation of the world ‘s major geographic areas. The Council normally meets doubly a year. The members of the Council elected by the 22st assembly in 2002 for 2002–03 were : ( from the first class ) China, Greece, Italy, Japan, Norway, Panama, Republic of Korea, russian Federation, United Kingdom, United States ; ( from the irregular category ) Argentina, Bangladesh, Brazil, Canada, France, Germany, India, Netherlands, Spain, Sweden ; and ( from the last class ) Australia, Bahamas, Chile, Cyprus, Denmark, Egypt, Ghana, Honduras, Indonesia, Kenya, Lebanon, Malta, Mexico, Nigeria, Philippines, Poland, Singapore, South Africa, Turkey, and Venezuela .
Committees
The Maritime Safety Committee is made up of all IMO member states. Its work is carried out chiefly through nine sub-committees working in the surveil areas : bulk liquids and gases ; baby buggy of dangerous goods, solid cargoes and containers ; fire protection ; radio and search and rescue ; base hit of navigation ; ship design and equipment ; constancy and lode lines and fishing vessels safety ; standards of train and watch-keeping ; masthead express implementation .
The Marine Environment Protection Committee is creditworthy for all matters relating to the prevention and operate of marine contamination from ships.
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The Legal Committee, established in the aftermath of the
Torrey Canyon
disaster of 1967 to deal with the legal problems arising from that incident, is responsible for any legal matter within the oscilloscope of the IMO .
The Technical Cooperation Committee coordinates the work of the IMO in providing technical aid in the nautical field, particularly to developing countries.
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The Facilitation Committee is a subsidiary company soundbox of the Council. It was established in May 1972 and deals with IMO ‘s function in eliminating unnecessary formalities and “ red tape ” in international transport .
Secretary-General and Secretariat
The secretariat consists of a Secretary-General, appointed by the Council with the approval of the Assembly, and an external staff of approximately 300. IMO headquarters are at 4 Albert Embankment, London, England, UK, SE1, 7SR .
The Secretary-General is William A. O’Neil, of Canada, who was appointed to the position with effect of 1 January 1990. He heads a staff of approximately 300 .