Maritime Attorney

International Maritime Organization

The International Maritime Organization, or IMO, was adopted by a convention in Geneva in 1948. The first meeting of the IMO was in 1959. The IMO is a specialized agency of the United Nations and is based in the United Kingdom. It has about 300 people on staff throughout the 123 UN member states.

The main task of the IMO has been to develop and to maintain a comprehensive regulatory framework for shipping. Today its duties include overseeing safety, environmental concerns, legal matters, technical co-operation, maritime security and the efficiency of shipping.

With shipping being quite possibly the most global of the world's industries (water does cover 3/4ths of the Earth's surface), and serving more than 90% of global trade by carrying huge quantities of cargo safely and effectively, it was seen as important that an organization work to standardize rules and regulations.

The IMO is a comprehensive body of international conventions which are supported by hundreds of recommendations governing every facet of shipping. There are measures designed to prevent accidents, measures that recognize accidents do happen and try to standardize distress signals among other things, and there are conventions that establish compensation and liability regimes. These regimes include the International Convention on Civil Liability for Oil Pollution Damage, International Fund for Compensation for Oil Pollution Damage, and the Athens convention. A number of treaties have also come from the IMO including the SOLAS (a treaty on safety), MARPOL (maritime pollution), and STCW (standards and training for seafarers).

Today, shipping is still a dangerous area of work. Constant exposure to the elements coupled with lots of heavy lifting and tight quarters all contribute to the incidence of injury on board ships. If you or someone you know has been injured working on a ship, contact a maritime lawyer at Williams Kherkher at 1-800-220-9341 to discuss your legal options and to schedule an initial consultation.