On 6 March, Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II visited the HQ of the International Maritime Organization (IMO) to take part in celebrating IMO's 70th birthday. The Convention on the International Maritime Organization was adopted on 6 March 1948 at the United Nations Maritime Conference held in Geneva. The Convention entered into force 10 years later, when the 21st State ratified the treaty.
IMO’s first meetingwas held on 6 January 1959, at Church House in central London. Kitack Lim, IMO Secretary-General, said during the celebrations, ''Billions of ordinary people, all over the world, rely on shipping every day of their lives - even if they don't realise it or understand it. It is our role to ensure shipping can continue to make this vital contribution to global well-being.''
