Thailand elected as IMO member for seventh term
THE 29th Assembly of the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) has elected Thailand as a member of the IMO council - for the seventh time.
At the meeting in London at the IMO headquarters held from 23 November to 2 December, 112 votes from some 155 nations backed the election of Thailand as member in category C – countries with special interests in maritime transport or navigation.
Thailand will serve a two-year term from 2016-2017, after having served in this post for six terms consecutively since 2006.
The country is tasked with responsibilities to check, oversee and monitor IMO work. The council members are classified as follows:
Category (a) 10 states with the largest interest in providing international shipping services comprises China, Greece, Italy, Japan, Norway, Panama, Republic of Korea, Russian Federation, United Kingdom, United States;
Category (b) 10 states with the largest interest in international seaborne trade comprises Argentina, Bangladesh, Brazil, Canada, France, Germany, India, Netherlands, Spain, Sweden;
Category (c) 20 States not elected under (a) or (b) above, which have special interests in maritime transport or navigation and whose election to the Council will ensure the representation of all major geographic areas of the world: Australia, Bahamas, Belgium, Chile, Cyprus, Denmark, Egypt, Indonesia, Kenya, Liberia, Malaysia, Malta, Mexico, Morocco, Peru, Philippines, Singapore, South Africa, Thailand and Turkey.
The IMO, a unit under the United Nations, was set up in 1959 and has 171 countries as members. Its roles and responsibilities include identifying safety measures and guidelines for naval navigation and protecting the maritime environment, as well as boosting cooperation among members.
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