Jakarta (ANTARA) - Indonesia has been re-elected as a category C member of the International Maritime Organization (IMO) Council for the 2022-2023 term.
"The re-election of Indonesia as an IMO council member reflects the world’s recognition of its existence in the international maritime sector," Transportation Minister Budi Karya Sumadi said in a written statement released on Saturday.
Indonesia was re-elected following a vote conducted at the IMO headquarters in London on Friday, he informed.
The IMO currently has 175 member states, 40 of which are members of the IMO council under categories A, B, and C, Sumadi said.
Category A comprises 10 member states representing the largest international commercial shipping fleets as the largest providers of international sea transportation services.
Category B is made up of 10 member states representing the largest interests in the international seaborne trade. Category C has 20 member states representing special interests in sea transportation or navigation and representing all of the world’s main geographical regions.
The re-election of Indonesia as an IMO council member has offered a chance to the country to take part in formulating IMO policies, which have a significant influence on the maritime sector, Sumadi said.
Meanwhile, acting Director General of Sea Transportation at the Transportation Ministry Arif Toha said the election of IMO council members for 2021 was conducted through a secret ballot, the same voting system used in the previous years.
"Alhamdulillah (Thank God), this year, through heavy struggle, we managed to vie for 20 seats, bearing in mind that the competition was quite tight. In 2019, we competed with 24 countries, while this year, 27 countries nominated themselves for (IMO council membership),” he added.
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