Six candidates have been nominated by their Governments for the lucrative position of Secretary-General of the International Maritime Organization (IMO). The nominations were confirmed by IMO last weekend following the expiration of deadline for nominations on March 31, 2011.
The election for the post will be held at the 106th session of the 40-Member strong IMO Council, which meets from 27 June to 1 July 2011. The decision of the Council will be submitted to the IMO Assembly, which meets for its 27th session from 21 to 30 November 2011, for its approval.
Six candidates have been nominated by their Governments for the lucrative position of Secretary-General of the International Maritime Organization (IMO). The nominations were confirmed by IMO last weekend following the expiration of deadline for nominations on March 31, 2011.
The election for the post will be held at the 106th session of the 40-Member strong IMO Council, which meets from 27 June to 1 July 2011. The decision of the Council will be submitted to the IMO Assembly, which meets for its 27th session from 21 to 30 November 2011, for its approval.
The nominees as released by the organisation on Friday are: Mr. Lee Sik Chai (Republic of Korea), Mr. Andreas Chrysostomou (Republic of Cyprus), Mr. Neil Frank Ferrer (Republic of the Philippines), Mr. Jeffrey Lantz (United States of America), Mr. Esteban Pacha Vicente (Kingdom of Spain) and Mr. Koji Sekimizu( Japan).
The last entry came in from the USA whose candidate Jeffrey Lantz came up surprisingly is being rumoured as the joker in the completion which is expected to be keen.
The US State Department had announced last week that it had nominated, the US Coast Guard’s director for commercial regulations and standards.
Mr Lantz has long been engaged with IMO issues, and currently serves as Head of the US delegation to the Organization’s principal technical bodies, the Maritime Safety Committee and the Marine Environment Protection Committee. His knowledge and credibility on international maritime issues, including piracy, maritime security, greenhouse gas emissions, etc., is well-established and contributed to his election as Chairman of the IMO Council, the organization’s second-highest governing body, the State Department said in a media statement.
“The International Maritime Organization plays an increasingly important role on issues related to international maritime safety, security, and environmental protection. The United States believes that Jeffrey Lantz possesses important qualities and the necessary background to lead the Organization in these challenging times,” the State Department said.
Nigeria’s candidate, Mrs Monica Mbanefo opted out of the competition about two weeks ago after the controversial removal of the director general, Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), Mr Temisan Omatseye.
One of Omatseye’s offences was the alleged illegal transfer of about 300,000 Pound Sterling from NIMASA account for the purpose campaigning for Mrs Mbanefo.
The present IMO Scribe, Mr. Efthimios E. Mitropoulos, ends his second four-year term on December 31, 2011.
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