Constitution
The name of the organisation is the International Maritime Statistics Forum (IMSF).
Objectives are to promote harmonisation and improvement in the international maritime industry's quality and scope of information and statistics.
One full meeting of the IMSF takes place each year and is referred to herein as the Annual Meeting
The Forum is managed by a Steering Group, which comprises the IMSF Chairperson and Secretary and up to six steering group members nominated by members and endorsed by the Steering Group.
Following the first Annual Meeting subsequent to the adoption of this constitution, the Chairperson, Secretary and other Steering Group members shall be appointed for a fixed, renewable, three-year period; any vacancies occurring during that time may be filled by co-option at the discretion of the Steering Group. At the end of the three-year period, existing members must be offered the opportunity to nominate individuals from within the membership to stand for election as Chairperson, Secretary or Steering Group member. In this event, appropriate, secret ballot elections for the Chairperson and/or Secretary and/or Steering Group (all members) must take place; the electorate will comprise qualifying attendees at the following annual meeting. If no nominations are forthcoming and existing officeholders are willing to continue, they will be reappointed for a further three years. The Steering Group will be responsible for convening the Annual Meeting and co-coordinating elections.
IMSF Membership is by invitation and open to individuals from organisations actively involved in the maritime industry. Nominations for membership are approved by the Steering Group.
An organisational membership directory is available on the website, www.imsf.info.
Eligibility to vote in elections will be confined to members who attended at least two full Annual Meetings in the preceding three years. Voting will be limited to one vote per organisation.
No membership fees are levied. Members are expected to bear their own travel and subsistence costs and are encouraged to participate in the Forum's activities.
The Steering Group will have full responsibility for managing the affairs of the IMSF, including co-opting and/ or replacing Steering Group members between elections. Decisions within the Steering Group will be made by a simple majority vote subject to a quorum of five members, with the Chairperson having a casting vote in the event of an equal division of votes.
Changes to this constitution can be made by a majority vote of the Steering Group.