Arsenio Dominguez, Secretary-General of the International Maritime Organization (IMO), presented key items on the Organization’s agenda during a recent press conference.
The shadow fleet
The Secretary-General emphasized the growing risks associated with ageing tankers in the shadow fleet, which endanger both seafarers and the environment. Recent incidents involving collisions and breakdowns of these vessels underscore the urgency of addressing their safety and compliance shortcomings.
What is the shadow fleet?
The “shadow fleet” comprises primarily older tankers, many of which have not undergone recent inspections and lack proper maintenance. Ownership of these vessels is often unclear, and they frequently operate without adequate insurance coverage, seeking to evade sanctions and mitigate high insurance costs. This increases the risk of oil spill or collision. This could also result in a participating shipowner evading its liability under the relevant liability and compensation treaties.
Dominguez announced that an IMO meeting in March will revisit a 2023 resolution to enhance scrutiny of ship-to-ship oil transfers in open seas, a common but hazardous practice among shadow fleet tankers.
Sub-standard shipping has been on IMO’s agenda for many years. Not a single ship that does not meet the required IMO standards should be operating out there. That’s why we are ramping up the way that we provide technical cooperation and capacity-building to Member States [to effectively enforce IMO regulations].
… Dominguez said
He also disclosed discussions with smaller flag registry countries, which are often lenient in enforcing international safety and environmental regulations, to address their role in enabling the shadow fleet’s operations.
Red Sea region
IMO has confirmed reports of at least 69 attacks on international shipping in the Red Sea area, occurring between November 2023 and November 2024. None have been reported to IMO since November 2024. These illegal and unjustifiable attacks have resulted in widespread impacts on the industry and global economy.
The Secretary-General said that efforts are ongoing to secure the release of the MV Galaxy Leader and its 25-person crew, who remain detained since the ship was taken hostage in November 2023.
As his first mission of the year, the Secretary-General will be in Egypt next week to open the IMO Regional Presence Office in Alexandria, to coordinate technical assistance in the region to support maritime safety, security and environmental protection.
Shipping decarbonization
The Secretary-General provided an update on ongoing negotiations towards a new set of binding regulations aimed at cutting the greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from ships and achieving net-zero shipping by or around 2050.
These measures include a global marine fuel standard and a global pricing mechanism for GHG emissions from ships. These are expected to be adopted during an extraordinary session of the Maritime Environment Protection Committee scheduled from 13 to 17 October 2025.
We remain on track and we continue to make progress
..said Mr. Dominguez.
