Council, 124th session (C 124) 12-14 October 2020

Expanding size of IMO Council – work on draft amendments to continue 

The Council re-established a working group on Council Reform, to work  intersessionally, to develop and finalize draft amendments to the IMO Convention to extend the term of the Members of the Council to four years and expand the size of the Council to 52 Members.  

Expanding the size of the IMO Council would allocate 12 seats to Categories (a) and (b) each and 28 seats to Category (c) . * 

 The aim would be to approve the amendments at an extraordinary Council session in 2021 and forward them to the thirty-second session of the Assembly (in late 2021) for adoption.   

Brazilian and Filipino seafarers to receive IMO Bravery Award 

Two Brazilian pilots who averted an environmental disaster and an officer from the Philippines who saved fellow passengers from a sinking vessel while off-duty will receive the 2020 IMO Award for Exceptional Bravery at Sea.  

The Council endorsed the recommendation from a Panel of Judges, agreeing that two nominations were worthy of the highest recognition this year. (Read more) 

 International Maritime Prize for 2019 to go to Mr. Peter Hinchliffe (ICS) 

The prestigious International Maritime Prize for 2019 is to be awarded to Mr. Peter Hinchliffe, former Secretary General, International Chamber of shipping (ICS) who participated in International Maritime Organization (IMO) meetings for many years, providing shipping industry leadership on a number of key regulatory developments. 

 The Council decided to award the Prize to Mr. Hinchliffe in recognition of his invaluable contribution to the work and objectives of IMO and to the international maritime community. (Read more) 

Council Chair  

The current Chair of the Council, Mr. Xiaojie Zhang, announced his intention to step down. In accordance with rules 19 and 20 of its Rules of Procedure, the current Vice-Chair, Mr. Edmundo Deville del Campo, will act as Chair, pending the election of a new Chair at the first meeting of the Council following the thirty-second regular session of the Assembly in 2021. 

 *Current 40 Council Members, elected for the 2020-2021 biennium: 

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: 

  • Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, France, Germany, India, the Netherlands, Spain and the United Arab Emirates. 

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: 

  • Bahamas, Belgium, Chile, Cyprus, Denmark, Egypt, Indonesia, Jamaica, Kenya, Kuwait, Malaysia, Malta, Mexico, Morocco, Peru, the Philippines, Singapore, South Africa, Thailand and Turkey.