Adm. Kime Honored For Efforts In Marltlmo Safety And Pollution Prevention
Admiral J. William Kime, who recently retired as Commandant of the U.S. Coast Guard (USCG), won the International Maritime Prize for 1993. The prize is awarded annually to the person thought to have done most towards advancing the objectives of the International Maritime Organization (IMO), the U.N. agency concerned with maritime safety and the prevention of pollution from ships.
Adm. Kime has been an active participant in the technical and political workings of IMO at all levels since 1972. He has always been, and remains, a strong proponent of multilateral solutions to maritime safety and marine environmental concerns.
Adm. Kime was a key participant in the development of the International Gas Carrier Code and the International Bulk Chemicals Code, and served as the principal U.S. negotiator for these agreements. He also make an important contribution to 1978 International Conference on Tanker Safety and Pollution Prevention and served as head of the U.S. Delegation to the IMO Sub-Committees on Bulk Chemicals and Ship Design and Equipment. During 1984-1988, Adm. Kime served as the Chief of the Office of Marine Environment and Systems, and subsequently as Chief of the Office of Merchant Marine Safety. He was responsible for combining these two offices into the Office of Marine Safety, Security and Environmental Protection, and served as its first chief. He served as head of the U.S.'s Delegation to IMO's Marine Environment Protection Committee and the Maritime Safety Committee.
Adm. Kime was a leader in the international effort to develop an international solution to maritime terrorism, as a result of the Achille Lauro incident, an effort which resulted in the development of the Convention for the Suppression of Unlawful Acts Against the Safety of Maritime Navigation, 1988, and specific measures to prevent unlawful acts. He also strongly supported the latest efforts by IMO to emphasize the importance of such measures. He played a leading role in the successful development of subdivision and stability standards for dry cargo vessels and increased residual stability for passenger vessels, through amendments to the International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS), 1974. He initiated the development, and the 1988 update, of the Code for the Construction and Equipment of Mobile Offshore Drilling Units and was a principal supporter of the development and implementation of the Global Maritime Distress and Safety System (GMDSS).
Adm. Kime served as head of the U.S. Delegation to the Conference on International Cooperation on Oil Pollution Preparedness and Response. He also served as head of the U.S. Delegation to the 17th and 18th IMO Assemblies.
