Lawrence Dehniah Barchue, Sr.

 

Assistant Secretary-General/Director, Department for Member State Audit and Implementation Support, International Maritime Organization

M.Sc. Maritime Education and Training – Engineering, World Maritime University, Sweden

B.Sc. (Hons), Marine Engineering, Maine Maritime Academy, USA

 

Following his graduation in 1976 from the College of West Africa in Monrovia, Lawrence Dehniah Barchue, Sr. enrolled at the University of Liberia, where he pursued studies in civil engineering for little over a year before travelling to the US. He graduated in 1982 from Maine Maritime Academy, Castine, Maine, USA with a B.Sc. (Honours) in marine engineering and a minor in marine industrial management. In 1991, he obtained his M.Sc. in maritime education and training (engineering) from the World Maritime University, Malmo, Sweden.

He worked for Gulf Oil Corporation and Marathon International Petroleum as engineer officer on Tankers and obtained his Chief Engineer’s license. He was an adjunct-lecturer at the Marine Training Institute in Liberia and an advisor on international affairs to the Liberian Seaman, Ports and General Workers Union during the 1980s.

From 1992 to February 2002, which was over a period of ten years and during the height of the Liberian civil conflict, he served as Deputy Permanent Representative of the Republic of Liberia to the International Maritime Organization (IMO) and Counsellor (Maritime Affairs), Embassy of Liberia in London. He represented Liberia at various meetings of the IMO, including the Assembly, Council, Committees, Sub-Committees, and Diplomatic Conferences, as well as the International Mobile Satellite Organization (Inmarsat), the International Labour Organization and International Telecommunications Union (both in Geneva) on matters relating to shipping

He served as Chairman of the Facilitation Committee of IMO from 1996 to 2002 and has chaired a number of working groups at meetings convened by intergovernmental organizations.

In March 2002, he joined the Secretariat of the International Maritime Organization (IMO) and has served in a number of capacities as follows:

  • Head, Technical Cooperation Implementation and Project Management Section of the Maritime Safety Division (March 2002 to December 2003)
  • Deputy Director/Head (January 2004 to June 2010) and Senior Deputy Director (July 2010 to December 2011), Member State Audit and Internal Oversight, Office of the Secretary-General
  • Head, Department for Member State Audit and Implementation Support, Maritime Safety Division (January 2012 to August 2014).
  • Director, Department for Member State Audit and Implementation Support (September 2014 to July 2017).
  • Assistant Secretary-General/Director, Department for Member State Audit and Implementation Support (July 2017 -

Mr. Barchue has served as the focal point on the IMO Secretariat for the development and implementation of the Audit Scheme since its inception. The Scheme is a compliance monitoring programme involving the audit of the legal systems and laws, administrative and technical arrangements relating to the ratification, implementation and enforcement of international maritime treaties obligations by 172 Member Governments of IMO. These obligations include the design, construction and operation of ships, as well as coastal and port State functions relating to aids to navigation, pollution prevention and control, search and rescue, hydrography, meteorological services and warnings, amongst others. In addition to the staff at IMO Headquarter in London, Lawrence has a cadre of more than 200 professional maritime lawyers, naval architects, ship’s captains and engineers around the world to assist in carrying out the audits of Governments.

Lawrence is married to Barbara and they have two sons – Lawrence, Jr. and Trokon Anders and a granddaughter.