IMO Elects Mr. Koji Sekimizu of Japan as Secretary General

The International Maritime Organization Council has elected Mr. Koji Sekimizu of Japan to serve as Secretary General of the organization. The Council's decision will be submitted for approval by the IMO General Assembly at its biennial meeting, scheduled to convene on November 21 2011. Mr. Sekimizu will serve as Secretary General for a four year term beginning on January 1, 2012.

Mr. Sekimizu, 59, is currently Director of the IMO's Maritime Safety Division, a position he has held since 2004. He was formerly an official with the Ministry of Transport of Japan in 1977, and joined the IMO Secretariat in 1989. The other candidates for the post included Mr. Jeffrey Lantz, the Director of Commercial Regulations and Standards for the U.S. Coast Guard, and also Mr. Lee Sik Chai of South Korea, Mr. Andreas Chrysostomou of Cyprus, Mr. Neil Frank Ferrer of the Philippines, and Mr. Esteban Pacha Vicente of Spain.