Maritime Safety at the IMO
The situation in the Gulf – STCW Certifications
The IMO’s Maritime Safety Committee has approved a Circular that provides guidance to flag Administrations and others regarding STCW certification renewal during the period of exceptional circumstances created by the situation in the Arabian Sea, the Sea of Oman and the Gulf region.
The guidance addresses the force majeure being faced by seafarers (and companies) in that region whose certificates (both STCW and Medical) need revalidation. Specifically, it encourages Administrations to adopt measures, including the extension of the validity of certificates, which align as closely as practicable with the intention of the relevant provisions of STCW. It also notes that such measures must be communicated to both seafarers and to the IMO.
MASS Code
A new non-mandatory code for Maritime Autonomous Surface Ships (MASS) was adopted and will come into effect on 1 July 2026.
Out of the 24 Chapters, a few matters are of specific interest. These include a decision that, for the present, the training and watchkeeping standards in the STCW Convention and Code may be considered for Remote Operations Centre roles. The code also affirms that if crew or persons are onboard a MASS, that the Master of a MASS should be physically onboard to ensure the safety of personnel and operations. It also notes that a Minimum Safe Manning Document should define if a particular capability should be fulfilled by onboard crew or remote operators.
It is intended that the Experience Building Phase (during which feedback will be received on the workability of the non-mandatory MASS Code) will complete in 2030, to allow preparation of a new mandatory Code to enter into force in 2032.
LRIT
A proposal for 6-hourly Long-Range Information and Tracking (LRIT) data to be made available free of charge to all coastal states received detailed scrutiny. The funding model for LRIT required all states extracting the data to pay a fee, which in turn funds the two main data centres (primary in Europe, backup in USA), along with other LRIT infrastructure.
It was noted that the current cost model means that LRIT is underutilised for safety (including long range SAR), security (both coastal and port State) and other maritime issues. The debate also highlighted some advantages of LRIT over AIS data, due to the inherent verifications within the system, and the diminished ability to spoof LRIT.
A policy decision was made to allow free access to basic LRIT data for all coastal states, for ships within 1000 nautical miles of their coast. Appropriate amendments to SOLAS were approved but are yet to be adopted. A number of reservations were made regarding these amendments, which could lead to the tonnage criteria for full adoption not being achieved.
Piracy
171 incidents of piracy and armed robbery against ships were reported in 2025. At the global level, this is an increase of 17% compared to 2024.
The areas affected by acts of piracy and armed robbery against ships in 2025 were: the Straits of Malacca and Singapore area (122), West Africa (21), Indian Ocean (10), South China Sea (6), South America (Caribbean) (4), East Africa (5), Arabian Sea (2), and South America (Pacific) (1).
The number of incidents involving hostage/kidnapped crew decreased by 5 (22 incidents in 2024; 17 incidents in 2025). The total number of crew members originally reported as hostage/kidnapped for 2025 decreased by 79 to 53, compared to 2024 when 132 crew were reported as hostage/kidnapped.
New Resolutions, Regulations and Guidelines.