From INMARSAT to IMSO: 50 years of history, transformation and international cooperation celebrated at Assembly 30

Today, during the 30th Assembly of the International Mobile Satellite Organization (IMSO), we commemorated the 50th anniversary of the signing of the 1976 Convention establishing the International Maritime Satellite Organization (INMARSAT), under the auspices of the International Maritime Organization (IMO).

We were particularly honoured to welcome Olof Lundberg, the first Director General of INMARSAT, who addressed the Assembly as part of this special commemoration. His presence offered a unique opportunity to bring together the origins of the Organization and its role today, fifty years after the adoption of its founding Convention.

Over the past five decades, the Organization has undergone a remarkable transformation. Originally established as an intergovernmental satellite operator, INMARSAT was restructured in 1999, with its commercial activities transferred to the private sector, while IMSO continued its intergovernmental mission of overseeing public-service obligations relating to maritime satellite safety communications.

To mark this anniversary, we are pleased to share a commemorative video retracing the history of the Organization, its achievements and its evolution over the past 50 years. Click here to watch the full video, or find it on our ‘Background‘ page.

It is the story of an international organization that has adapted to profound technological and institutional changes while preserving the fundamental purpose that inspired its creation: contributing to the safety of life at sea.