Former naval officer Luc Smulders is the new secretary-general of the Paris Memorandum of Understanding on Port State Control (Paris MOU).
He succeeds Richard Schiferli, who retired on 1 November after 29 years of service to the organisation.
Smulders said: “I am very much looking forward to succeeding Richard Schiferli.
"He leaves behind a secretariat that has largely been formed under his leadership and has grown into what it is today.
"Moreover, although it will not be easy to compensate for the knowledge and experience of Richard himself, I’m comforted by the structure and the quality of the secretariat he’s leaving behind.”
Smulders was educated at the Royal Navy Academy of the Netherlands and sailed for five years as a naval officer.
He later worked as an inspector and advisor in the Netherlands Shipping Inspectorate and then became coordinating policy advisor within the Maritime Affairs Directorate of the ministry of infrastructure and water management.
Smulders also served as the Dutch alternate permanent representative to the IMO.
