IMO Council urges stronger protection of seafarers amid threats to global shipping

Council condemns attacks on merchant shipping in the Red Sea and Black Sea, mourns loss of 25th seafarer since onset of Strait of Hormuz conflict, and renews Secretary-General’s tenure.

The Council of the International Maritime Organization (IMO) has reaffirmed its commitment to protecting the safety, security, health and well-being of seafarers amid continuing threats to international shipping.

Meeting for its 138th session at IMO Headquarters in London (2–6 November 2026), the Council reiterated that vital shipping lanes should remain open, safe and secure. It underscored that seafarers must be protected wherever they are and whatever their nationality, including in geopolitical disputes over which they have no control.

Secretary-General Arsenio Dominguez emphasized: “Seafarers continue to lose their lives, suffer serious injuries, face abandonment, are denied repatriation and are deprived of basic human necessities, including water, food and medical care, resulting from the ongoing geopolitical conflicts.”

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