Introducing the

INTERNATIONAL MARITIME
ORGANISATION

VICTOR OLERSKIY
Member of the Board of Directors at
Russian Fishery LLC
The International Maritime
Organisation (IMO) is a
United Nations specialised
agency with responsibility
for international shipping
regulations. It was initially
established following an
agreement made in 1948 in
Geneva and came into force in
1959. Until 1982, it was known
as the Inter-Governmental
Maritime Consultative
Organisation.

Structure

The headquarters of the

IMO are in London, UK.
To date, there are 174 IMO
member states as well as
three associate members.

Victor Olerskiy
Creating a Regulatory
Framework

The primary purpose of the

IMO is the creation and main-
tenance of a regulatory frame-
work for shipping on a global
scale. This includes issues of
safety and security, environ-
mental concerns, efficiency,
technical cooperation and le-
gal matters.

Governance

The IMO is governed by an assembly of its

members, with an elected council of mem-
bers in charge of financial administration.
Five committees perform the body of the
work, with support from several technical
subcommittees. Proceedings of the IMO
can be observed by other United Nations
organisations.

"
In 2014 the IMO adopted
what is known as the Polar
Code, which regulates
shipping in polar waters.

Victor Olerskiy
 Victor Olerskiy
Learn more about the Polar Code by visiting the
blog of Russia’s Deputy Minister for Transport
(2009-2018), Victor Olerskiy.