How the International Maritime Organization was created and renamed
Background
Several countries had proposed a permanent international body to promote maritime safety, but this was realized only after the establishment of the United Nations.
In 1948 an international conference in Geneva adopted a convention formally establishing the organization.
The original name was the Inter-Governmental Maritime Consultative Organization, or IMCO, and the name was changed to IMO in 1982.
The IMO Convention entered into force in 1958 and the new Organization met for the first time the following year.
Article 1(a) of the Convention sets out its purpose as providing machinery for cooperation among Governments in regulation and practices relating to technical matters affecting shipping engaged in international trade.
IMO's first task was to adopt a new version of the International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea, known as SOLAS, which was achieved in 1960.
The Torrey Canyon disaster of 1967, in which 120,000 tonnes of oil was spilled, demonstrated the scale of marine pollution from ships.
In plain words
IMO International Maritime Organization — The UN specialized agency for the safety, security and environmental performance of shipping.
SOLAS International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea — Described by IMO as the most important of all treaties on maritime safety.
IMCO Inter-Governmental Maritime Consultative Organization — The original name of the IMO.