The Secretary General of the WCO, Dr. Kunio Mikuriya, met with the Secretary General of the International Maritime Organization (IMO), Mr. Kitack Lim, at IMO headquarters in London, United Kingdom on 2 November 2018.  They agreed on further cooperation between the two organizations on a range of areas, including data sharing, technology, security and facilitation.

Both Secretaries General appreciated the cooperation that currently exists between the two organizations in data harmonisation and standardisation through the close alignment between the WCO Data Model and the IMO Convention on Facilitation of International Maritime Traffic (FAL Convention).  They also shared their interests in the use of passenger data in the maritime environment, especially in relation with cruise ships. 

Beyond these specific points, they found a possible area for collaboration between Customs, maritime authorities and maritime-related business at the working level to further ensure facilitation and security of the movements of goods, people and vessels. They agreed to set up a policy dialogue in a wider context between the two Organizations.