IMO Legal Committee approves first international guidelines to deter maritime fraud and misuse of flags.
The International Maritime Organization’s Legal Committee has approved a new set of guidelines to improve transparency and due diligence in ship registration, as well as prevent fraudulent registrations and misuse of flags.
The guidelines help to close a key regulatory gap for the maritime industry, given there is currently no binding international framework to regulate the registration of ships.
The newly approved Guidelines will assist new and existing flag State ship registries by providing practical measures to strengthen verification and due diligence, ensure accurate ownership records, and improve oversight of registration procedures.
Welcome step
Closing the 113th session of the Legal Committee held in London (13-17 April), IMO Secretary-General Mr. Arsenio Dominguez said:
“This is a welcome step towards ensuring due diligence in ship registration systems for the benefit of safety, protection of the marine environment and the well-being of seafarers, essential for the safety and security of international shipping. The Guidelines will also aid in eliminating cases of fraudulent registration.”
The Legal Committee noted that the number of ships flying a false flag had increased since the previous session in 2025, with 529 ships falsely flying the flag of a country in the past year. Nearly 40 Member States had seen cases of their flags being fraudulently used by criminal groups without their knowledge or consent.
The Guidelines focus on:
- Legislation governance and control on who can perform registration of ships
- Procedures for quality assurance in ship registration
- Due diligence on ownership and ship identification
- Due diligence on ship identity and eligibility checks
- Information sources and information sharing.
The Committee also took decisions on the following issues:
Substandard shipping
The Committee re-established a correspondence group to continue working on the Regulatory Scoping Exercise to review IMO conventions and other tools available to Member States, with the aim of developing actions to prevent unlawful operations, including substandard shipping. The correspondence group will develop terms of reference for a working group to be convened at the next session to focus on the issue.
Strait of Hormuz
The Committee strongly condemned the threats and attacks against vessels in the Arabian Sea, Sea of Oman and the Gulf Region, particularly in and around the Strait of Hormuz.
The Committee strongly condemned the Islamic Republic of Iran's threats related to the laying of mines in and around the Strait of Hormuz, in particular the Traffic Separation Scheme (TSS). It further condemned the reported toll system for vessels passing through the Strait of Hormuz and the discriminatory measures imposed by the Islamic Republic of Iran, which were contrary to the purposes of IMO.
The Committee affirmed that the Islamic Republic of Iran's actions were contrary to the right of transit passage, which must not be impeded, through the Strait of Hormuz in accordance with international law.
Fair treatment of seafarers
The Committee noted with alarm that from 1 January to 31 December 2025, a total number of 410 new cases had been reported on the joint IMO/ILO database on seafarer abandonment, affecting more than 6,000 seafarers. These figures excessively surpass all the previous years' record of reported cases. In 185 reported cases, there was no obligatory financial guarantee.
In addition, from 1 January 2026 a further 103 abandonment cases have already been recorded on the joint ILO/IMO database.
The Committee urged Member States to ratify the Maritime Labour Convention, 2006, including its 2014 amendments, and to apply the 2022 joint ILO/IMO Guidelines on how to deal with seafarer abandonment cases. It stressed that port, coastal and flag States must take seafarers' rights seriously and cooperate with other stakeholders to resolve cases.
With regards to the ILO/IMO abandonment database, the Committee requested the Joint ILO/IMO Tripartite Working Group (JTWG) to consider creating a clear step-by-step guide (Standard Operating Procedure) with specific timelines and trigger dates, so authorities know exactly when and how to act quickly in urgent abandonment cases. It should not create extra administrative burden.
It asked the Task Force to recommend means to enhance the accuracy and verification of financial security documentation, through a secure reporting interface within IMO's existing systems.
Liability and compensation regime related to alternative fuels
The Committee agreed that a regulatory gap existed in relation to liability and compensation for incidents involving alternative fuels used for ship propulsion and that existing international liability regimes do not adequately address the specific risks of these fuels - this gap must be addressed to ensure legal certainty and effective compensation for victims.
The Committee agreed there is a need to develop a dedicated regime, or amend existing ones, to ensure that their use in ship operation and propulsion is adequately covered. It established a correspondence group to continue the work on this matter and report back to the next session.
A full meeting summary will be published in due course.
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