On this day 66 years ago, on January 6, 1959 (November 27, 1958 lunar calendar), the International Maritime Organization (IMO) was established. On January 6, 1959, the International Maritime Organization (IMO) was established. Headquartered in London, it was formerly known as the "Intergovernmental Maritime Consultative Organization (IMCO) " and was renamed "International Maritime Organization" in 1982. The organization is an intergovernmental international organization responsible for dealing with maritime technical issues, coordinating maritime safety and preventing pollution from ships. It is a special agency of the United Nations. So far, the organization has 158 member states; there are about 40 international conventions and instruments formulated and deposited by the organization, most of which have entered into force. The purposes and tasks of IMO are: To promote technical cooperation in shipping among States, to encourage States to adopt uniform standards in promoting maritime safety, improving the efficiency of navigation of ships, and preventing and controlling pollution from ships, and to deal with legal issues related to shipping. Its main activities are to develop and revise conventions, rules, protocols and recommendations relating to maritime safety, prevention of pollution from ships, facilitation of maritime transport and efficiency of navigation, and maritime liability related thereto, and to exchange practical experience and maritime reports in this regard. The three most famous conventions of IMO are the International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea, 1974 (SOLAS), MARPOL 73/78 and the International Convention on Standards of Training, Certification and Watchkeeping for Seafarers, 78/95 (STCW78/95). One of the three major international conventions governs the safety of ships, the other governs environmental protection, and the other governs the quality of crew members, which is very representative. In addition, there is another convention and a rule that are also very important, namely the International Convention on Load Lines of Ships, 1966, and the International Regulations for Preventing Collisions at Sea, 1972. Both of these are also concerned with life, property, and navigation safety. Of course, these documents developed by the IMO are not static, and some documents are constantly revised and supplemented over time. For example, new regulations requiring the construction of new oil tankers to have double hulls, mandating the installation and use of GMDSS, prohibiting ships from dumping garbage at sea, and improving the training standards of crew members need to be updated continuously.