After the sinking of the Titanic in 1912, the international maritime community realized that more extensive regulation was needed in order to improve safety. Two years later, The International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS) was written to increase safety measures on passenger vessels upon the high seas. SOLAS revealed the need for more international communication between maritime nations. This need was a primary reason for the development of the International Maritime Organization (IMO). Today, the IMO is a major force in the continuation of SOLAS and the creation of new, needed regulations. (International Maritime Organization, 2014) The sinking of the Titanic exposed a harsh reality in 1912: maritime safety was not at a …show more content…
The issuance of documents, certifications, and classifications of ships are also covered. Chapter Two covers the construction of ships and fire prevention and firefighting. The construction aspect covers the subdivision of ships, bilge pumps, machinery installation, electrical installation, maintenance, environmental friendliness of new constrictions. The fire section deals with the thermal division of ships, both vertically and horizontally, and the location and number of firefighting equipment (International Maritime Organization, 2014). Chapter Three includes lifesaving appliances and equipment such as life boats, life rafts, life jackets, and life rings. It sets forth the International Life Saving Appliance Code, which sets the technical requirements for life saving …show more content…
Its purpose from the beginning: 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 (International Maritime Organization, 2014). The United Nations was of paramount importance in the formation of the IMO. In 1948, a convention was held in Geneva, and the Inter-governmental Maritime Consultative Convention (IMCC) was created in order to address the global need for an international regulatory body over the high seas. The IMCC met for the first time in 1959 to face its first task: the 1960 revision of SOLAS. In later meetings, the IMCC dealt with maritime traffic, load lines, carriage of dangerous goods, and tonnage measurement; however, safety remained its primary concern. In 1982, the IMCC changed its name to the International Maritime Organization (IMO). Today, the IMO deals with key issues such as piracy, greenhouse gas emissions from ships, sustainable transportation systems, but it keeps safety and SOLAS at its heart (International Maritime Organization, 2014).