IMO Council Urges Seafarer Protection as Conflict Deaths Reach 25
The International Maritime Organization (IMO) Council has ended its 138th session at IMO Headquarters in London, United Kingdom, with a strong call to protect seafarers. Meeting from 2 to 6 November, the Council reaffirmed its commitment to the safety, security, health and well-being of seafarers, whatever their nationality or location, and said key shipping lanes must remain open and secure.
IMO Secretary-General Arsenio Domínguez told the Council that seafarers continue to lose their lives, suffer serious injuries, face abandonment and are denied repatriation. He said the death of a crew member on the tanker Velos Sapphire in the Gulf on 5 November brought the number of seafarers killed since the Middle East conflict began to 25. IMO has verified at least 130 attacks on merchant ships in the region, and thousands of seafarers remain at risk, including crews on ships unable to leave the Persian Gulf.
From the CrewMirror Blog
The Council urged Member States to avoid unlawful measures that endanger seafarers or shipping. It condemned Houthi attacks in the Red Sea and Bab al-Mandab, and Russian attacks on merchant ships, seafarers, ports and rescue services linked to Ukraine’s maritime corridor in the Black Sea. It also noted 17 piracy incidents so far this year in the Western Indian Ocean and Gulf of Aden.
Among its decisions, the Council recommended a second four-year term for Mr Domínguez from January 2028 and selected Yu Jiajia of China for the 2027 IMO Gender Equality Award.
CrewMirror Takeaway
With 25 seafarers killed and piracy rising again, crews trading in the Gulf, Red Sea, Black Sea and Gulf of Aden should follow the latest security guidance and take part fully in ship security drills before entering high-risk areas.
