A wide range of safety, environmental, training, fuel, construction and reporting requirements will either enter into force or become available for voluntary application.
To help shipowners, operators, managers and shipyards plan ahead, the overview below presents the 2026 regulatory agenda month by month, effectively turning the year into a compliance calendar. Early planning, gap analysis and engagement with flag Administrations, class societies and training providers will be essential to remain compliant and operationally resilient throughout 2026.
January 2026 – A major regulatory milestone
1 January 2026 is the single most significant date on the 2026 calendar, with a large number of IMO, SOLAS, MARPOL amendments entering into force simultaneously.
Safety, equipment and ship design
- Mandatory carriage of electronic inclinometers
- New container ships and bulk carriers ≥3,000 GT must be fitted with electronic inclinometers under SOLAS Chapter V, with data potentially linked to the VDR.
- Amendments to the LSA Code
- New requirements for single fall and hook systems on lifeboats and rescue boats to prevent accidental release during recovery.
- Launching appliances using falls and winches (LSA Code)
- Limits introduced on maximum and minimum lowering speeds for survival craft and rescue boats.
- Enhanced performance standards for SOLAS adult lifejackets
- Lifejackets on ships constructed on or after 1 January 2026 must meet new in-water performance standards, including reliable face-up turning of unconscious persons.
- Ventilation of totally enclosed lifeboats
- New design standards require a minimum ventilation rate of 5 m³/h per person for at least 24 hours (noting phased installation dates extending to 2029).
- Amendments to SOLAS Chapter II-1 – lifting appliances and anchor handling winches
- New requirements for design, testing, inspection, maintenance and provisions for inoperative equipment.
Fire safety and extinguishing media
- PFOS ban in fire-extinguishing media
- From 1 January 2026, fire-extinguishing systems and equipment must not use or store PFOS-containing media. This applies to SOLAS ships; 1994 and 2000 High-Speed Craft (HSC) Codes and; Fixed and portable fire-fighting systems and
- Fire safety upgrades for ro-ro and vehicle spaces
- New requirements for smoke and heat detection, video monitoring, water-based fire-extinguishing systems, and structural fire protection on ships carrying vehicles.
- Fire protection of control stations and cargo control rooms
- New SOLAS requirements apply to cargo ships constructed on or after 1 January 2026.
Environmental protection and fuels
- Amendments to SOLAS II-2/4 on oil fuel parameters
- Oil fuel must not jeopardise ship safety, machinery performance, or crew health. Suppliers, ship managers and crews all carry new responsibilities.
- Reporting of non-compliant oil fuel suppliers
- Amendments to SOLAS Chapter II-2 introduce reporting obligations where flashpoint requirements are not met.
Navigation, reporting and documentation
- Mandatory reporting of containers lost at sea
- Amendments to SOLAS Chapter V require immediate reporting of container losses or sightings.
- Amendments to IAMSAR Manual (Volumes II & III)
- Updated SAR guidance enters into force, including new appendices, improved night-search guidance, offshore wind farm considerations and enhanced flight-tracking use.
- Procedures for Port State Control, 2025
- New PSC procedures take effect, including:
- Security-specific guidelines for PSCOs
- Updated list of relevant instruments, including SEEMP and IGF Code changes
- New PSC procedures take effect, including:
Training and human element
- New STCW training requirements
- Mandatory training on preventing and responding to violence, harassment, bullying and sexual assault must be included in all basic and advanced safety courses.
Cargoes and dangerous goods
- Amendments 42-24 to the IMDG Code
- New and revised requirements apply to all ships carrying dangerous goods in packaged form.
- Amendments to the Grain Code
- New provisions clarify loading conditions and calculation of heeling moments for partially filled compartments.
Polar and high-seas operations
- UN High Seas Treaty (BBNJ Agreement)
- The treaty enters into force, establishing a new global framework for protecting biodiversity beyond national jurisdiction.
- Amendments to SOLAS Chapter XIV and the Polar Code
- New navigation and voyage planning requirements apply to non-SOLAS ships operating in polar waters, with transitional provisions for existing vessels.
Materials and alternative fuels
- High manganese austenitic steel introduced
- Approved for use under both the IGC Code and IGF Code for tanks, barriers and pressure vessels.
February 2026 – Arctic fuels in focus
- MO PPR 13 meetingI
- Governments meet at the IMO’s Pollution Prevention and Response Committee, with strong pressure from the Clean Arctic Alliance to:
- Eliminate single-hulled ships in the Arctic
- Accelerate the transition to cleaner polar fuels
- Strengthen Arctic environmental regulation
- Governments meet at the IMO’s Pollution Prevention and Response Committee, with strong pressure from the Clean Arctic Alliance to:
This meeting is expected to shape future fuel and design requirements for polar shipping.
March 2026 – New Emission Control Areas
1 March 2026
- Canadian Arctic Emission Control Area (ECA)
- MARPOL Annex VI amendments establish a new ECA for NOx, SOx and particulate matter.
- Norwegian Sea Emission Control Area (ECA)
- A new ECA is established, with phased requirements for NOx Tier III engines and low-sulphur fuel use.
Shipowners operating in these regions must plan engine certification, fuel strategies and compliance timelines carefully.
July 2026 – Alternative fuels on gas carriers
Amendments to IGC Code paragraph 16.9
- From 1 July 2026, gas carriers may be permitted to use toxic cargoes as fuel, subject to:
- Demonstrating an equivalent level of safety
- Explicit approval from the flag Administration
September 2026 – Engine recertification clarified
Amendments to the NOx Technical Code
- New procedures enter into force for:
- Engines undergoing substantial modification
- Engines being certified to a different NOx Tier than originally approved
Applicants must prepare an Engine Emission Test Plan agreed by the Administration or Recognised Organisation.
Throughout 2026 – Inspection and enforcement
Concentrated Inspection Campaign (CIC) on cargo securing and stowage
Australia, together with the Tokyo and Indian Ocean MoUs, will conduct a CIC focusing on cargo securing, stowage practices, crew training and weather preparedness. Other MoUs are expected to follow.
Source: Safety4Seas
