ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

International Maritime Organization

The International Maritime Organization, or IMO for short, is like a big club where all the countries in the world get together to talk about and make rules for ships and boats that sail in the sea.

Say you want to go on a boat trip with your family. Before you go, your mom and dad will make sure that the boat is safe and has life jackets, just in case something happens. The people in the IMO make sure that all boats and ships around the world are safe for everyone who uses them, just like your mom and dad make sure your boat trip is safe.

The IMO has meetings with people from all over the world to talk about how to make shipping safer, how to protect the ocean from pollution caused by ships, and how to make sure all ships around the world follow the same rules. This way, ships from all countries can safely travel to different places without any problems.

The people in the IMO also work together to create rules about how to help people who have accidents at sea, like when a ship crashes and people need help. They make sure there are people who are trained to rescue others and there are ships nearby that can help in case anyone is in danger.

So, the International Maritime Organization is like a group of people who work together to make boating and shipping safe and fair for everyone. They help ships and boats to avoid accidents and keep the oceans clean and healthy for people and animals who live in and near the sea.