Top candidates to replace Mr. Efthimios Mitropolous, current Secretary General of the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) whose tenure expires at the end of next year have emerged, just as some member countries have already confirmed their nominees.
The Philippines is nominating Neil Ferrer, Chairman of the Maritime Safety Committee; Cyprus has nominated Andreas Chrysostomou, Chairman of the IMO’s Marine Environment Protection Committee; Japan’s choice is Koji Sekimizu, Director of the IMO Safety Division; and it is expected that Mrs Monica Mbanefo of Nigeria and Lee-Sik Chai of Korea will also be candidates.
The formal nomination period starts at the next IMO Council in November this year. The formal procedures for the nominations and election will be decided then, but member states are likely to have until March next year to submit their candidates.
The election of the next Secretary General will then take place when the Council meets in June 2011 in London. The candidates will be invited to address the council in an open session, followed by a private session with only Council Member States, prior to the Council voting through a secret ballot.
As chairmen of the IMO’s two leading committees Mr Chrysostomou and Mr Ferrer command a huge amount of respect within the halls of the UN body, so the competition is likely to be intense.
Courtesy: Marine Business International
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