International Maritime Organization (IMO) (IMO)

The specialised United Nations agency responsible for global standards concerning the safety, security and environmental performance of international shipping.

IMO provides the forum in which member states develop and adopt international conventions, codes, recommendations and other instruments on matters including ship safety, pollution prevention, liability, facilitation and maritime security. Those instruments take legal effect through ratification, implementation and enforcement by states rather than through IMO policing ships directly.

The organisation is headquartered in London and currently has 176 Member States and three Associate Members. Its official English name uses the spelling ‘Organization’, including in British English contexts.

• International Convention for the Safety of life at Sea (SOLAS);
• International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships (MARPOL),
• International Regulations for Preventing Collisions at Sea (IRPCS),
• Global Maritime Distress and Safety System (GMDSS).