During the mid-19th century, there was an attempt to establish a permanent international body to promote maritime safety more effectively. Several countries proposed that a permanent international body should be established to promote maritime safety more effectively, but it was not until the establishment of the United Nations itself that these hopes were realized.

In 1948, an international conference in Geneva adopted a Convention formally establishing International Maritime Organization (IMO) (the original name was the Inter-Governmental Maritime Consultative Organization, or IMCO, but the name was changed in 1982 to IMO). However, due to the continuing suspicion of some sections of the shipping industry about the role of the new Organization, the IMO Convention entered into force in 1958 and IMO commenced operation in 1959.

The purposes of the Organization are "to provide machinery for cooperation among Governments in the field of governmental regulation and practices relating to technical matters of all kinds affecting shipping engaged in international trade; to encourage and facilitate the general adoption of the highest practicable standards in matters concerning maritime safety, efficiency of navigation and prevention and control of marine pollution from ships", as summarized by Article 1(a) of the Convention.

In 1960, IMO achieved it's first task to adopt a new version of the International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS).

After the Torrey Canyon disaster of 1967, in which 120,000 tonnes of oil was spilled, IMO introduced a series of measures designed to prevent tanker accidents and to minimize their consequences.

It also tackled the environmental threat caused by routine operations such as the cleaning of oil cargo tanks and the disposal of engine room wastes - in tonnage terms a bigger menace than accidental pollution.

The most important of all these measures was the International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships, 1973, as modified by the Protocol of 1978 relating thereto (MARPOL 73/78). It covers not only accidental and operational oil pollution but also pollution by chemicals, goods in packaged form, sewage, garbage and air pollution.

IMO was also given the task of establishing a system for providing compensation to those who had suffered financially as a result of pollution. Two treaties were adopted, in 1969 and 1971, which were amended in 1992, to increase the limits of compensation payable to victims of pollution (the 1969 and 1992 International Conventions on Civil Liability for Oil Pollution Damage, 1969 CLC and 1992 CLC, and the 1971 and 1992 International Conventions on the Establishment of an International Fund for Compensation for Oil Pollution Damage, 1971 and 1992 Fund Convention).

In November 1990, OPRC Convention was adapted by a diplomatic Conference convened by the IMO, which entered in force in 1995.

By now, around 40 conventions and protocols have been adopted by the Organization and most of them have been amended on several occasions to ensure that they are kept up to date with changes taking place in world shipping. IMO has also developed a technical co-operation programme which is designed to assist Governments which lack the technical knowledge and resources that are needed to operate a shipping industry successfully.

At present, IMO has 158 Member States. The Organization consists of an Assembly, a Council and four main Committees: the Maritime Safety Committee; the Marine Environment Protection Committee; the Legal Committee; and the Technical Co-operation Committee. There is also a Facilitation Committee and a number of Sub-Committees support the work of the main technical committees.

The IMO's slogan is "Safer Shipping And Cleaner Oceans".

For further information: please go to IMO's Website ( http://www.imo.org )