Imo Legal Committee News

Captain Vladimir Motin was sentenced to six years’ jail on February 2 after being found guilty of “gross negligence manslaughter” for his role in the container ship Solong’s ramming of the anchored tanker Stena Immaculate in March 2025.The circumstances of his case, heard at the Old Bailey in London, are different to those of Ali Albokhari, currently serving a 30-year term in a Turkish jail, but the contrast that is even more apparent is the mismatch in due process and access to justice…

Dr. Rosalie Balkin, who was nominated by the Government of Australia, was honoured at the annual IMO Awards Ceremony, held in London on November 24, 2025. The ceremony followed the first day of the 34th session of the IMO Assembly, taking place from November 24 to December 3, 2025. Handing Dr. Balkin the silver dolphin trophy, IMO Secretary-General Mr. Arsenio Dominguez commended her five-decade career, in which she has broken new ground, including as the first woman to lead the CMI - the world’s oldest organization focused on unifying international maritime law - since it was founded in 1897.

Dr. Rosalie Balkin, Secretary-General of the Comité Maritime International (CMI) and former Director of Legal Affairs and External Relations Division at the International Maritime Organization (IMO), has been named the recipient of the International Maritime Prize for 2024. The decision was announced today by the IMO Council during its 134th session (July 7-11). Nominated by the Government of Australia, Dr Balkin was recognized for her contributions to international maritime law over a career spanning more than 50 years.

Global maritime leaders have reaffirmed their commitment to fair treatment, due process and coordinated action to protect seafarers’ rights.Seafarers detained in connection with their professional duties must be treated fairly and with dignity, with full respect for their human rights, high level participants from the IMO, International Labour Organization (ILO), International Chamber of Shipping (ICS), and International Transport Workers’ Federation (ITF) have urged, following…

Secretary-General Arsenio Dominguez has highlighted several areas high on the agenda of the International Maritime Organization (IMO), as it embarks on a busy work schedule for 2025.Speaking at a news conference on 14 January 2025, Mr. Dominguez said that IMO’s 176 Member States continue to work together to find solutions to global challenges impacting the maritime sector.Dark fleetHe addressed rising concerns with the “dark fleet” or “shadow fleet” evading compliance with safety or environmental regulations, avoiding insurance costs or engaging in other illegal activities.Mr.

The third meeting of the Joint ILO–IMO Tripartite Working Group to identify and address seafarers’ issues and the human element met in Geneva, Switzerland, between November 26–28 and adopted Guidelines on Fair Treatment of Seafarers detained in connection with alleged crimes.The objective of the Guidelines is to ensure that the human rights and legitimate interests of seafarers involved in alleged crimes are recognized, that seafarers detained in connection with alleged crimes are treated fairly by public authorities…

Advances in autonomous vessels – from R&D to regulatory policies to actual work – are moving rapidly. AVs include a range of vessel types and missions, from freight to law enforcement to research to defense. There are many acronyms. Some examples –AV stands for autonomous vessel.AUV is autonomous underwater vessel.MASS stands for “maritime autonomous surface ship.”NOMARS is a U.S. Department of Defense term for “no manning required ship.”Different…but maybe not so differentSurface…

The IMO's Legal Committee met in person for its 111th session at IMO Headquarters in London from April 22 to 26 April 2024, and finalized guidelines on the fair treatment of seafarers detained on suspicion of committing crimes.These are to be applied where seafarers may be detained in a jurisdiction other than that of the seafarers' nationality on suspicion of committing crimes during the course of their employment on board a ship.The objective is to ensure that seafarers are treated fairly during any investigation and detention by public authorities…

The Legal Committee of the IMO will meet for its 111th session at IMO Headquarters in London from April 22 to 26, 2024. The Committee deals with any legal matters within the scope of the IMO, including issues relating to liability and compensation, fair treatment of seafarers and the registration of ships. This meeting will discuss:1. Abandonment of seafarersSeafarer abandonment happens when shipowners fail to fulfil obligations to seafarers related to timely repatriation, payment of outstanding wages or salary…

As the International Maritime Organization (IMO) celebrates its 70th anniversary, Kitack Lim, Secretary-General, sits in his London office with a sense of satisfaction that in his two plus years at the helm of IMO tremendous strides have been made toward significant greenhouse gas emission reductions, punctuated by the recent MEPC meeting where the target was set for a 50% reduction in CO2 emissions by 2050. But the Secretary- General’s sense of satisfaction is tempered with the fact that his job has just begun and his plate is full.

Two ratifications to a key compensation treaty covering the transport of hazardous and noxious substances (HNS) by ship have brought the instrument a step closer to entry into force. Canada and Turkey on Monday (23 April) deposited their instruments of ratification to the 2010 Protocol to the International Convention on Liability and Compensation for Damage in Connection with the Carriage of Hazardous and Noxious Substances by Sea, 1996 (2010 HNS Convention). When in force, the treaty will provide a regime of liability and compensation for damage caused by HNS cargoes transported by sea, including oil and chemicals, and covers not only pollution damage, but also the risks of fire and explosion, including loss of life or personal injury as well as loss of or damage to property.

International Maritime Organization (IMO)'s Legal Committee is expected to consider adopting a resolution to encourage the ratification and implementation of the 2010 HNS Convention, when it meets for its 104th session (26-28 April). Norway recently became the first country to become a Contracting State to this key compensation treaty covering the transport of hazardous and noxious substances (HNS) by ship. Also up for consideration is a draft Assembly resolution to allow for the delegation of authority to issue insurance certificates under the CLC and the HNS Convention. The Committee is also expected to confirm the addition of mandatory insurance certificates into the consolidated draft list of certificates and documents required to be carried on board ships, 2017.

International Maritime Organization (IMO) Secretary-General Kitack Lim has welcomed the entry into force today (18 January) of new obligations under the Maritime Labour Convention (MLC 2006) which require shipowners to have compulsory insurance to cover abandonment of seafarers, as well as claims for death or long-term disability of seafarers. The 2014 amendments to the MLC 2006, which comes under the auspices of the International Labour Organization (ILO), are based on guidelines which were developed by a joint IMO/ILO working group, which reported to both IMO's Legal Committee and ILO's governing bodies. "These amendments, which will provide better protection for seafarers and their families…

The story of how that incident served as a catalyst for positive change is told in a new exhibition which was launched on Monday (16 January) at the headquarters of the IMO, the United Nations agency with responsibility for the safety and security of international shipping and the prevention of pollution from ships. A series of panels chart the collaborative work which has resulted today in a comprehensive regulatory framework, a demonstrably improved shipping industry, good systems of preparedness and response and adequate compensation for those affected by spills. Demand for oil remains strong and shipping remains the most effective means of meeting that demand.

The 50 years since the grounding of the tanker Torrey Canyon in 1967 have seen dramatic and sustained reduction in major oil spills from ships, thanks to cooperation between Governments and industry. The story of how that incident served as a catalyst for positive change is told in a new exhibition which was launched on Monday (16 January) at the headquarters of the International Maritime Organization (IMO), the United Nations agency with responsibility for the safety and security of international shipping and the prevention of pollution from ships. A series of panels chart the collaborative work which has resulted today in a comprehensive regulatory framework…

Maritime lawyer Dr. Frank Lawrence Wiswall Junior, former Chair of the International Maritime Organization (IMO) Legal Committee and Vice President (Honoris Causa) of the Comité Maritime International (CMI), has received the International Maritime Prize for 2015 for his contribution to the work of IMO over many years. Presenting the Prize, during a ceremony at IMO Headquarters on Monday, December 5, IMO Secretary-General Kitack Lim highlighted Dr. Wiswall's dedication and leadership in the field of international maritime law over several decades…

The prestigious International Maritime Prize for 2015 is to be awarded to Dr. Frank Lawrence Wiswall Junior, former Chair of the International Maritime Organization (IMO) Legal Committee and Vice-President (Honoris Causa) Comité Maritime International (CMI), for his contribution to the work of IMO over many years. The IMO Council has decided to award the Prize, noting Dr. Wiswall's personal contribution to the work of IMO, leading IMO’s Legal Committee as it developed a number of key international treaties and holding important roles at various international IMO legal and diplomatic conferences. As a lecturer at the International Maritime Law Institute (IMLI) in Malta and as a Member of its Governing Board from 1992 to the present, Dr.

33 countries and a number of international organisations have just met at the IMO headquarters in London under the chairmanship of Denmark and Indonesia. On this occasion, liability for damages and the obligation to take out insurance in connection with transboundary oil pollution damage resulting from offshore activities were considered, and this has resulted in the drafting of guidance that is expected to be presented to the IMO Legal Committee in the spring of 2016. On several occasions, Denmark and Indonesia have tried to make the IMO undertake to develop an international convention in this area, but resistance from a number of major oil producing countries have made this impossible until now.

Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA) commend the International Maritime Organization's (IMO) Legal Committee's proposals for on-board crime procedures. The International Maritime Organization's (IMO) Legal Committee recently adopted a proposal which CLIA co-sponsored on international standards for crime reporting, cooperation between governments, evidence preservation and care for victims. CLIA first offered the proposal to the IMO in 2011, marking the continuation of the Association's efforts to have such standards adopted globally. In addition to CLIA, other co-sponsors were the United Kingdom, the International Federation of Shipmaster's Associations, and the International Association of Airport and Seaport Police. The proposal was also supported by the United States.

Seafarers’ suggestions on how to improve their situation when facing criminal charges were presented at the landmark 100th session of the Legal Committee of the International Maritime Organization (IMO) which met in London from April 15-19, 2013. The suggestions, which emanated from a comprehensive eight language survey conducted by Seafarers’ Rights International (SRI) over a 12-month period to February 2012, focus as much on fears of their own human rights being violated as on a lack of due process in the criminal process.

The Legal Committee of the International Maritime Organization (IMO), has drafted advice for masters of ships on preservation & collection of evidence. Draft guidelines on the preservation and collection of evidence following an allegation of a serious crime having taken place on board a ship, or following a report of a missing person from a ship, and on pastoral and medical care of victims were approved  by the Legal Committee of the International Maritime Organization (IMO), when it met for its 100th session.

The International Chamber of Shipping (ICS), which represents all sectors and trades and over 80% of the global shipping industry, and leads shipowner representation at the International Maritime Organization (IMO) Legal Committee, has expressed strong support for the agreement reached by IMO this week to increase the limits of liability under the Limitation of Liability for Maritime Claims Convention 1996 (LLMC), by 51%. In addition to general maritime claims, the new LLMC limits…

Delegates and speakers from around the globe will converge on the Maritime Institute of Technology and Graduate Studies (MITAGS) in the Washington, DC area Linthicum Heights, MD) US to participate in the second Wrecks of the World conference being held June 6-7, 2011. This is a unique opportunity to meet with global experts to explore potentially polluting wrecks and recent incidents around the world. These wrecks have caused government agencies and responsible parties to look…