The IMO announced that it has welcomed a new member state, on 14 May. Nauru, a Small Island Developing State in the western Pacific Ocean, deposited its instrument of acceptance to the IMO Convention with the United Nations depositary, becoming IMO’s 174th Member State.
With 11,347 residents in a 21-square-kilometre area, Nauru is the smallest state in the South Pacific, smallest republic and third smallest state by area in the world, behind only Vatican City and Monaco. The country is located south of the Marshall Islands and east-northeast of Papua New Guinea.
The International Maritime Organization is the United Nations specialized agency with responsibility for the safety and security of shipping and the prevention of marine pollution by ships.
