Turkish bureaucrat in line for top job at UN's global shipping body

The race for the International Maritime Organization’s (IMO) top job has begun with seven candidates jostling for the influential position of secretary-general of the UN’s specialised shipping agency.

The IMO has been instrumental in creating the industry-defining Solas maritime safety convention and Marpol anti-pollution conventions, which have helped to make the high seas a safer and cleaner environment than 50 years ago.

However, its failure to act with greater speed, clarity, and transparency has made it an institution widely misunderstood within the shipping community and harshly criticised by society at large.

The most crucial issue that the IMO is grappling with is maritime decarbonisation, the planned move to use green fuels to reduce carbon emissions ahead of its 2050 decarbonisation targets.

With the current secretary-general, Kitack Lim, ending his second four-year term on December 31, the upcoming election to elect a successor is under intense scrutiny.

Here are some of the frontrunners in the race.

Türkiye’s Suat Hayri Aka is a candidate with vast experience in shipping, having served as the a Secretary in the Turkish Ministry of Transport and Infrastructure.

Greece has announced its support for the nomination of Aka. The move comes in the light of a thaw in Greek-Turkish relations following the deadly earthquake that struck Türkiye in early February.

Aka, a seasoned captain himself, has a lot of experience in the private sector, as a CEO of shipping companies and as an academic, giving lectures on maritime affairs.

Panama’s Arsenio Dominguez, the director of the IMO’s marine environment division, is another candidate running for the position.

Dominguez has been working for the IMO for 25 years and is known for his experience in leading the Panamanian delegation.

Kenyan candidate Nancy Karigithu, who would be the first African to hold the post, is chief administrative secretary at the country’s Ministry of Transport, Infrastructure, Housing and Urban Development.

Another leading candidate is Minna Kivimak, who is a permanent secretary at the Finnish Ministry of Transport and Communications.

The race for the IMO’s top job is a crucial one, with the future of the organisation and the maritime industry at stake. Whoever is elected as the next secretary-general of the IMO will have the daunting task of leading the organisation towards a more sustainable, efficient, and transparent future.