[http://www.imo.org/KnowledgeCentre/ReferencesAndArchives/Pages/TheOriginsOfIMO.aspx]
The Origins of the International Maritime Organization
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1. Introduction
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At the beginning of the 20th century, freedom of competition reigned supreme. Ships could be built without reference to standards, navigate without following any rules, be equipped with what was deemed necessary. Those ships operated under their own standards and sailed on any seas. A few common navigational rules had emerged, following the holding of the first international conference on the safety of maritime transport in 1889.
By July 1912, a wireless telegraphy conference, held in London, made intercommunication systems and radio equipment on board ships compulsory. It also allocated certain wavelengths to ships and coastal stations, long-distance radio telegrams and radio lighthouses. Its application was to be suspended during the First World War, but it came into force again in 1919.
