Former Deputy Director-General
Danish Maritime Authority
Birgit Sølling Olsen has a master degree in law from the University of Copenhagen. She has been employed at the Danish Maritime Administration as a Deputy Director General dealing with all aspects of shipping from maritime law to social protection of seafarers, taxation and climate changes.
She has an extensive international experience from EU, ILO and IMO and has often been called upon to chair working groups in international fora. She chaired her first working group in ILO in 1993 dealing with the difficult issues of working hours and minimum wages for seafarers. She was one of the officers behind the Maritime Labor Convention, but has also drafted legal instruments as the Supplementary Fund Convention dealing with liability from oil pollution as well as IMO guidelines on piracy. In many aspects she has been able to influence the international regulations – conventions and guidelines – dealing with shipping and seafarers during the past 30 years.
She retired in June 2016 after more than 40 years of government service. In 2018 she was awarded the IMO prize for her international work.
She is presently working as an external consultant for IMO assisting states on the implementation of international conventions. She is also a member of the IOPC Funds Audit Body.