The International Maritime Organization assembly has elected a new 40-member Council, the executive body responsible for supervising the work of the Organization. The Council performs all the functions of the Assembly except that of making recommendations to Governments on maritime safety and pollution prevention.
A total of 46 countries presented their candidature.
In category A, there was no contested election, but in Category B, Australia and the United Arab Emirates challenged the sitting group, making it 12 candidates for 10 seats. Both countries succeeded in getting a seat on the Council, meaning that Argentina and Bangladesh lost their seats.
In category C, Algeria, Antigua & Barbuda, Nigeria and Saudi Arabia challenged for seats, but were unsuccessful.
The Members for the 2018-2019 biennium are:
Category A (10 States with the largest interest in providing international shipping services): 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): Australia, Brazil, Canada, France, Germany, India, Netherlands, Spain, Sweden, United Arab Emirates.
Category C (20 States not elected 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): Bahamas, Belgium, Chile, Cyprus, Denmark, Egypt, Indonesia, Jamaica, Kenya, Liberia, Malaysia, Malta, Mexico, Morocco, Peru, Philippines, Singapore, South Africa, Thailand, Turkey.
Following the conclusion of the 30th Assembly, the newly elected Council will meet for its 119th session on December 7th, where it will elect its Chair and Vice-Chair for the next biennium.
The IMO has 172 member states in total.
