Filipino IMO chief gets second term
The IMO Council has decided to extend the mandate of Secretary-General Arsenio Dominguez, a Filipino, for a second four-year term, from 1 January 2028 to 31 December 2031.
The decision was announced during the Council’s 138th session in London on 4 November and Council chair Victor Jimenez (Spain) said it would be submitted to the IMO Assembly for approval when it meets late next year.
“I am deeply grateful to the Members of the Council and all Members of the Organization for their continued trust and support. I remain committed to following your guidance and contributing to our collective efforts in support of global shipping and seafarers,” Dominguez said.
The tenth Secretary-General of the IMO was first elected by the Council, comprising of 40 member states, at its 129th session in July 2023 for a four-year term beginning on 1 January 2024. His election was approved by the IMO Assembly at its 33rd session in December 2023.
Seafarers protection
Meanwhile, the Council reaffirmed its commitment to protecting the safety, security, health and well-being of seafarers amid continuing threats to international shipping during its 138th session at the IMO Headquarters in London, United Kingdom on 5 November.
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.
Dominguez said, “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.”
He highlighted the death of another seafarer this week, following an attack on the M/T Velos Sapphire in the Strait of Hormuz on 5 November, bringing the number of confirmed casualties to 25 since the conflict in the Middle East began. In total, at least 130 attacks against commercial vessels in the region have been verified by IMO, with thousands of seafarers at risk, including those on ships that have been unable to leave the Persian Gulf.
The Council called on member states to refrain from unlawful measures that would jeopardize the safety of seafarers and international shipping. The secretary-general further committed to finding additional concrete measures IMO can take to help prevent further loss of life and alleviate the human cost of the crisis.
The Council strongly condemned attacks carried out by the Houthis against merchant and commercial vessels and their crews in the Red Sea and Bab al-Mandab Strait, as well as attacks by the Russian Federation against merchant vessels, seafarers, port infrastructure, search and rescue assets and other maritime safety services supporting the operation of Ukraine’s special maritime corridor. It reiterated its commitment to the security and freedom of navigation in the Black Sea.
The Council noted the increase in piracy and armed robbery attacks in the Western Indian Ocean and Gulf of Aden region, including 17 instances of attempted and actual piracy and armed robbery at sea in this region alone since the start of the year. It noted the work underway to address these developments, within the framework of the Djibouti Code of Conduct and its Jeddah Amendment.
The Council requested Dominguez to continue monitoring maritime security developments in these various regions and to keep member states informed.