The Secretary General of the Gulf Cooperation Council, Dr. Abdullatif bin Rashid Al-Zayani, accompanied by Dr. Eng. Abdulla Al-Nuaimi, UAE Minister of infrastructure Development and Chairman of Federal Transport Authority, and HE Mr. Sulaiman Hamid Almazroui, UAE Ambassador to the United Kingdom, met on Monday, 21 January 2019 at the (IMO) headquarters in London, HE Mr. ​​​Kitack Lim, Secretary-General of the International Maritime Organization; where they congratulated him on his reappointment as Secretary-General for a new session, as well as on the 70th anniversary of the founding of the International Maritime Organization, and the 100th anniversary of the establishment of The Maritime Safety Committee.

During the meeting they discussed means of enhancing cooperation and communication between the Gulf Cooperation Council and the International Maritime Organization, and the GCC role in enhancing the safety, security and sustainability of the marine sector and preserve the marine environment, through Continuous meetings between the Ministers of Transport and Communications, and maritime administrations and port authorities in the GCC States.

Dr. Al-Zayani stated that the GCC is exerting continuous efforts to make its members represented in important international organizations; stressing that this meeting with the IMO is paving the way contributing to this international foundation as a Gulf bloc capable of influencing the future of maritime transport.

Dr. Zayani stressed the need to activate integration and collective work through regional blocs and arrangements such as memorandums of understanding on Port State Control, which in turn contribute significantly to the development of international relations, the exchange of information, and capacity building.

Dr. Zayani affirmed the GCC continued support in the inspection and control of vessels visiting member states ports within the Riyadh Memorandum of Understanding framework, which obliges the maritime administrations of the six GCC countries to have a unified system of inspection and control of ships, to intensify cooperation and exchange information on issues related to the control of ships, in order to provide safety, security, efficiency and shipping in the Gulf region, which is one of several regional port State control agreements signed by the maritime authorities under the auspices of the International Maritime Organization (IMO) to verify that the condition, equipment and the crew of the vessel meet the requirements and standards of international law.

Dr. Zayani also referred to the role played by the Regional Organization for the Protection of the Marine Environment (ROPME), which was established in 1979 as a result of the Article XVI of the Kuwait Regional Convention for Cooperation on the Protection of the Marine Environment from Pollution, to coordinate efforts of the eight Member States towards protection the marine and coastal environment and ecosystems in the ROPME Sea Area against marine pollution that might be induced from developmental activities or / and other drivers of change. The (ROPME) plays a key role in unifying the efforts of Member States to protect the ROPME Sea Area, and to follow up actions undertaken by each country in this field through the Marine Emergency Mutual Aid Center (MEMAC) in the Kingdom of Bahrain, to strengthen the capacities of Member States, and to facilitate cooperation among them in order to combat pollution by oil.

For his part, Dr. Eng. Abdulla Al-Nuaimi praised the efforts exerted by The Secretary General of the Gulf Cooperation Council, Dr. Abdullatif bin Rashid Al-Zayani, and the important role played by the GCC  in the maritime transport field. He also stressed the importance of continued cooperation between the GCC, the International Maritime Organization, and the UAE authorities working in the transport sector in all the mega marine projects being implemented.

For his part, Mr. ​​​Kitack Lim stressed the need to strengthen the cooperation between the IMO and the GCC, noting that such regional arrangements contribute to achieving the IMO's vision. He also pointed to the importance of supporting capacity-building through contributions and grants provided by States within IMO's technical cooperation programs, which benefits all Member States. The Secretary-General also encouraged the GCC States to follow the UAE in their effective and influential role, pointing out the possibility of exchanging the attendance of meetings related to the maritime field, presenting papers to exchange information, and send experts in this field.