IMO Council Reaffirms Commitment In Protecting Vital Shipping Lanes.

London; July 2026: The Council of the International Maritime Organization (IMO) concluded its 137th session by reaffirming the importance of preserving navigational rights and freedoms in accordance with international law. In a resolution adopted during the session, the Council stressed that the right of transit passage through straits used for international navigation should not be threatened, impeded, denied, hampered, impaired or suspended. In addition, the Council reiterated that any measures taken by coastal States to regulate traffic in vital shipping lanes should be done with accordance with IMO regulations under the International Convention on the Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS).

Strait of Hormuz: With regards to the ongoing challenges facing international shipping in and around the Strait of Hormuz, the Council condemned the attacks on civilian commercial ships and called for the de-escalation of tensions in the Middle East region. The Council reaffirmed that passage through the Strait should remain free of any tolls and charges, in accordance with international law, including the IMO Convention.

The Council stressed that any arrangement between the littoral States of the region shall guarantee the non-discriminatory and unimpeded right of transit passage of all ships, through the internationally recognised traffic separation scheme adopted by IMO in 1968. The Council has requested the Secretary-General to explore options that advance safe maritime traffic and to work with littoral States, other Member States and the industry to ensure a coordinated and sustainable return to unhindered navigation through the Strait.

Cooperative mechanism for Straits of Malacca and Singapore: The Council noted the information shared Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore on their experience in co-managing the Straits of Malacca and Singapore through a “Cooperative Mechanism” that brings governments and industry together to share the burden.

The Council invited interested Member States and other stakeholders to consider making financial or in-kind contributions to the mechanism’s two funds – the Aids to Navigation Fund and the IMO Straits of Malacca and Singapore Trust Fund to support the Co-operative Mechanism.

IMO Awards –   

The 2026 IMO Awards Ceremony is scheduled to take place in London at the IMO Headquarters on 14th December 2026. This will include:    

2026 IMO Awards for Exceptional Bravery at Sea: The IMO Council has decided to award the 2026 IMO Award for Exceptional Bravery at Sea posthumously to Adrian Willyson Brask, nominated by Government of Norway and by the International Federation of Shipmasters’ Associations (IFSMA), in recognition of his extraordinary courage and self-sacrifice during an attempt to rescue a young girl from a capsized fishing vessel in the waters of Nappstraumen in Norway in 2025.

Adrian Brask, Chief Mate and diver of the rescue vessel RS 125 Det Norske Veritas of the Norwegian Society for Sea Rescue, following a review of more than 50 nominations by an Assessment Panel and further scrutiny by a distinguished Panel of Judges, the IMO Council, during the 137th session in London, endorsed the recommendation to bestow Mr. Brask with the honour.

In his submission to the Council, IMO Secretary-General Mr. Arsenio Dominguez said: “By knowingly accepting extraordinary personal risk in an effort to save a young life, Brask made the ultimate sacrifice and embodied the highest traditions of maritime search and rescue service”.

It was on the 26th of September 2025, in the Lofoten archipelago in Norway, a chartered fishing vessel carrying 04 adult tourists, 02 children and a fishing guide, suddenly capsised due to strong tidal currents.

Following a distress call, a rescue helicopter from the 330 Squadron and the rescue vessel RS 125 Det Norske Veritas, with Brask on board, were dispatched to the scene. They found 06 survivors on the overturned hull, while one child remained missing in the water. Brask braved extremely cold waters and powerful, unpredictable currents to search for the young girl.  

Operating with limited communications and challenging underwater conditions, he conducted a determined search beneath and around the capsized vessel. After a short while, he was recovered from the water unresponsive and could not be revived despite sustained efforts to save him. The child remains missing.

The Council recognised Brask’s exceptional courage, selflessness and self-sacrifice during the underwater rescue attempt.

In addition, two recipients will receive certificates of commendation for their acts of bravery, and 11 others will receive letters of commendation others will receive letters of commendation.

Certificate Of Commendation –

• SN2 Nick-Nick S. Udasan and SN2 Ian Glenn B. Morfe, members of the Coast Guard Sea Marshal Force, Philippine Coast Guard. Nominated by the Philippines for their leadership during the evacuation of the M/V Trisha Kerstin 3, which suffered structural failures and sank at night. The two officers alerted rescue authorities, distributed life jackets and, after the ship sank, spent more than two hours in the water helping other survivors, contributing to the survival of 316 passengers. 

• Captain Thomas Michael Leaf and the crew of the M/T Stena Immaculate. Nominated by the United States for their firefighting response after their tanker collided with a container vessel, triggering an explosion and fire involving aviation fuel cargo. Their disciplined response enabled the safe evacuation of all 23 crew members and averted a major environmental disaster. 

Letters Of Commendation - 

• Captain Asif Ahmed, Assistant Harbour Master, Chittagong Port Authority. Nominated by Bangladesh, for his ship-handling skills in averting a major collision after the LPG carrier Gas Harmony lost propulsion in the Karnaphuli Channel. 

• Captain Swadesh Tripathi and the crew of the M/V Maersk Karachi. Nominated by China, for recovering nine survivors from the tug Leo in severe weather in the Indian Ocean. 

• Petty Officer Elise Massin, diver of the Dauphin helicopter detachment of Flotilla 35F, Tahiti, French Navy. Nominated by France, for her role in two rescue operations spanning over seven hours, helping save 03 people in distress in rough seas in the South Pacific.

• Crew members of the helicopter detachment of Flotilla 2F, Maupertus, Lanvéoc-Poulmic Naval Air Base, French Navy. Nominated by France, for rescuing 04 fishers from the vessel Perle D’Albâtre during Storm Benjamin. 

• Captain Ioannis-Eleftherios Alexiou and the crew of the M/V Akti. Nominated by Greece, for rescuing five people from the sinking speedboat SN V near the Port of Itaqui, Brazil. 

• Captain Sachin Kulkarni and the crew of the INS Trikand, Indian Navy. Nominated by India, for nearly three hours of firefighting aboard the M/T Falcon in the Gulf of Aden after an explosion, recovering the remains of two missing crew members and averting a pollution incident. 

• Captain Atla Mohan and the crew of the INS Tabar, Indian Navy. Nominated by India, for a two-day firefighting and rescue operation after fire broke out in the engine room of the oil tanker M/V Yi Cheng 6 in the Gulf of Oman, evacuating eight crew members. 

• P/Adh Preetam Singh Yadav, diver of the ICGS C-147, Coast Guard Station Mayabunder, Indian Coast Guard. Nominated by India, for diving into near-zero-visibility waters to help rescue all 07 survivors, including a five-month-old infant, of a helicopter that crash-landed in a mangrove creek. 

• Crew of helicopter Rescue 115, Irish Coast Guard. Nominated by Ireland, for a complex winching operation that saved 14 fishers from the foundering vessel Fastnet near Dingle Harbour. 

• Captain Fumitaka Okamura and the crew of the LNG carrier LNG Saturn. Nominated by Japan, for manoeuvering their 288-metre vessel to rescue 06 survivors from the sunk cargo ship KM. Limadai 8 in the Malacca Strait. 

• Captain Mandeep Singh Bakhshi and the crew of the M/T Horten. Nominated by Liberia, for diverting more than 110 nautical miles to rescue a solo rower adrift in a life raft in the mid-Atlantic Ocean. 

2025 International Maritime Prize: The Council have selected Jeffrey G. Lantz, who have been nominated by the Government of the United States of America, as the recipient of the International Maritime Prize for 2025. The prize is awarded annually to an individual or organisation judged to have made a significant contribution to the work and objectives of IMO.

Jeffrey G. Lantz, is a naval architect, marine engineer and former United States Coast Guard captain with more than 50 years of maritime experience. Lantz most recently served as the Director of Commercial Regulations and Standards for the US Coast Guard. He retired in 2025, having reached the US government’s highest civil service rank. He has led, managed and directed the development of United States policy positions and the US Government’s representation on maritime matters at the IMO and the International Labour Organization (ILO). He served as head of the US delegation at IMO for more than 10 years, and was elected as Chair of the IMO Council, holding this position from 2009 to 2017.   

The IMO Council noted Lantz’s significant contributions to the development of landmark global maritime policies, on safety, security and environmental protection. He led efforts in advancing key frameworks, including:

• development and global adoption of the International Ship and Port Facility Security (ISPS) Code, which transformed maritime security standards and extended IMO’s regulatory reach ashore to port facilities;

• development of the International Code of Safety for Ships Using Gaseous Fuels (IGF Code), supporting innovation and environmental protection through safe standards for alternative fuels;  

• advancing the International Code for Ships Operating in Polar Waters (Polar Code), which established robust safety and environmental requirements for vessels operating in the Arctic and Antarctic;   

• revising training standards and addressing seafarer welfare, including the Manila Amendments to the International Convention on Standards of Training, Certification, and Watchkeeping for Seafarers (STCW Convention) and solutions for hours of rest and working arrangements.

Rear Admiral Peter Brady was selected to receive a Letter of Commendation, in recognition of his contributions to the development of the maritime sector in Jamaica and the wider Caribbean and the work of IMO.

Team Maverick.