IMRF at the IMO

IMO Collaboration

The IMRF is a non-governmental organisation with consultative status at the International Maritime Organization (IMO). As such, the IMRF attends a number of meetings and sub-committees at the IMO as part of our advocacy role on behalf of the global SAR community.

The IMRF provides full reports and summaries of all of its attending IMO meetings that are available to IMRF Members. Here you can read some relevant IMO documents. 

From early efforts in mass rescue operations to shaping amendments for the IAMSAR Manual, the IMRF has closely collaborated with the IMO’s subcommittees and the ICAO/IMO Joint Working Group on SAR. Over the years, this partnership has kept its guidance in lockstep with international conventions, not by accident, but through careful work.

The complex negotiations at IMO may seem distant from actual SAR operations, but the IMO is the key international body responsible for major agreements underpinning global SAR, including the Maritime SAR Convention and the IAMSAR Manual. When SAR principles must be defended, the IMO is a crucial platform for that advocacy.

The IMRF has gained recognition for presenting ‘pure’ SAR arguments, untainted by national political considerations, in IMO discussions. The Member States are the key players at IMO, but they are naturally bound by national priorities and policies. The IMRF is not and our voice is listened to.