Breakfast Talk by the Secretary-General of the
International Maritime Organisation (IMO) and London Diplomats....
I am an ex diplomat and
daughter of an Ambassador, and I was pleased to have been to the Diplomat Magazine and YDL Breakfast talk on Tuesday 5 November 2013 at
the IMO Headquarters, Albert Embankment. The speaker was Mr. Koji Sekimizu,
Secretary-General of the International Maritime Organization (IMO) - who spoke
to us on ‘‘Why he works for the IMO.’
Koji Sekimizu graciously offered to speak to Young Diplomats in advance
of the 28th Regular Session of the IMO Assembly which will be held in London
from 25 November to 4 December 2013.
About the Speaker:
Koji Sekimizu was elected
Secretary-General of IMO assuming that role at the beginning of 2012.
Having initially worked as
a ship inspector at the Ministry of Transport of Japan, Mr. Sekimizu joined IMO
in 1989 and has been involved in the development of many important Conventions
and Codes, with responsibility for maritime safety, security, anti-piracy
measures and marine environment issues. Koji Sekimizu studied naval
architecture at Osaka University where he obtained a Masters in engineering.
Biography
Page Content
Koji
Sekimizu was born on 3 December 1952 in Yokohama, Japan.
Academic Background
·
He was educated at the elementary and secondary school levels in
Yokohama.
·
He graduated in March 1975 with a Bachelor’s degree in engineering at
the Engineering Faculty of Osaka University, and obtained a Master’s degree in
engineering with a thesis on “One method for vibration analysis of a uniform
beam with vibrating sub-structures” in March 1977 at Osaka University.
·
Work Experience and Achievements
In April 1977, he entered the Ministry of Transport of Japan (MOT) and was
appointed as a Ship Inspector in the Nagasaki district branch of Kyushu
District Maritime Bureau.
·
In April 1979, he moved to the headquarters of MOT and acted as the
chief officer in charge of IMO regulations in the Safety Planning Section of
the Ship Bureau and drafted various proposals to IMO’s technical
sub-committees.
·
In July 1980, he was transferred, under a special arrangement, to the
Shipbuilding Research Association of Japan to engage in his duties to attend
committees and sub-committees of IMO.
·
In April 1982, after gaining the experience of participation in various
IMO meetings, he was promoted to Deputy Director of the Environment Division,
MOT.
·
He temporarily moved to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in April 1984
and was appointed as Deputy Director, Second International Organizations
Division, Economic Affairs Bureau, in charge of OECD related issues.
·
On his return to MOT in September 1986, he was appointed Deputy
Director, Safety Standards Division, Maritime Technology and Safety Bureau.
·
On 2 July 1989, he joined IMO as Technical Officer in the Sub-Division
for Technology, Maritime Safety Division of IMO.
·
In 1992 he was promoted to and appointed as Head of the Technology
Section. After this, he worked for the Maritime Safety Division until October
1997.
During the above-mentioned period, he performed among other things secretariat
functions to the MSC Working Group on SOLAS amendments dealing with new fire
protection measures for passenger ships proposed in the wake of the
Scandinavian Star incident and the MEPC/BCH Working Group on Prevention of Air
Pollution from Ships, which developed the framework of MARPOL Annex VI adopted
at the Marine Pollution Conference in 1997.
In
October 1997, he was promoted to Senior Deputy Director of the Marine
Environment Division, and was then appointed as Director of the Marine
Environment Division in August 2000.
In his capacity as Director of the Marine Environment Division (MED), he led
the Marine Environment Division in discharging its responsibilities to support
the work of among other things the Marine Environment Protection Committee
(MEPC) in dealing with the phase-out schedule of the single-hull tankers and
the Condition Assessment Scheme proposed in the aftermath of the Erika (1999)
and Prestige (2002) incidents and handling a number of emerging new
environmental issues including harmful anti-fouling paints, ballast water
management, ship recycling, particularly sensitive sea areas (PSSAs) and
greenhouse gas emissions from ships.
In January 2004, he was appointed as Director
of Maritime Safety Division and has contributed to the activities of IMO in
preparation, adoption and implementation of international rules and regulations
including:
1.
Implementation of the International Ship and Port Facility Security
(ISPS) Code;
2.
Development of the Long-Range Identification and Tracking of Ships
(LRIT) system;
3.
Development of the Goal Based Standards; and
4.
The comprehensive review of the 1978 STCW Convention.
5.
Among some of the activities relates to the effort to protect vital
shipping lanes, he has made major contributions to the creation of the
Cooperative Mechanism established by the three littoral States in the Straits
of Malacca and Singapore; and the adoption of the Djibouti Code of Conduct.
6.
On 28 June 2011, he was elected Secretary-General by the 106th session
of the Council and, having been approved by the 27th session of Assembly,
appointed, on 1st December 2011, the seventh Secretary-General of IMO by the
107th session of Council for the period from 1 January 2012 to 31 December
2015.
Personal Matters, Others
Mr. Sekimizu is married and has a daughter and a son, and two
granddaughters. He plays golf and his interests include playing the guitar and
composing songs.
He
is a Member of the Japan Society of Naval Architects and Ocean Engineers, and
is a Councillor of “Kousi Zosen Kai”, the Alumni Society of Naval Architects of
Osaka University.
Publications
The
Marine Electronic Highway in the Straits of Malacca and Singapore – An
Innovative Project for the Management of Highly Congested and Confined Waters
(Tropical Coasts, 2001)
GESAMP
and GMA – Constructing a New System for Evaluation of the Marine Environment
(Ocean Policy Research Foundation, 2003)
Marine
Electronic Highway Project as a New Management System for Sea Areas (Nippon
Foundation Library, 2004)
~ By staff
writer – diplomatic correspondent
