South Korea's IMO secretary-general candidate Lim Ki-tack, president of Busan Port Authority (BPA), says that UN global maritime organisation has been the “backbone” of his career.

“IMO has been the backbone of my professional career,” Lim told Seatrade Global, adding that he has been attending various IMO meetings since 1986.

“As a maritime professional with lifetime experience in a wide spectrum of maritime trades including seafaring, international maritime regulation and port operation, I believe I have the competence to serve IMO for its brighter future,” Lim said.

Lim, an accomplished mariner, will register to run in the election scheduled on 30 June 2015. The elected candidate will be approved by the IMO Assembly in November for the new four-year term to start on 1 January 2016. The secretary-general will be chosen by a secret vote of the 40 council members.

The incumbent secretary-general is Japanese Koji Sekimizu, who will finish his term on 31 December 2015.

There are five other candidates running for the election, who are Andreas Chrysostomou from Cyprus, Vitaly Klyuev from Russia, Maximo Q. Mejia, Jr. from the Philippines, Andreas Nordseth from Denmark and Juvenal Shiundu from Kenya.