Arsenio Dominguez, Secretary-General of the International Maritime Organization (IMO), was supported for his second four-year term during the 138th session of the Council in London. This decision reflects the IMO Council's backing amid security challenges and the failure to adopt a crucial carbon-neutral framework.
Date and Details of the Decision
The IMO Council's decision was announced on November 14, 2023, and comes with an extension of Dominguez's term from January 1, 2028, to December 31, 2031. This extension will require formal approval from the IMO Assembly in late 2027. Dominguez expressed gratitude for the continued support from the members of the IMO Council and other members of the organization in a statement.
Challenges Facing the Organization
The International Maritime Organization is facing difficult times. In October 2025, the members of this organization failed to adopt the proposed carbon-neutral framework. This framework included global fuel standards and greenhouse gas pricing mechanisms for maritime transport and faced pressure from the United States and oil-producing countries. While this framework had received initial approval in April 2025, disagreements among member countries prevented its final adoption. As a result, an extraordinary meeting of the Marine Environment Protection Committee has been postponed for a year.
This outcome is a significant blow to years of international negotiations aimed at creating a global regulatory framework for transitioning maritime transport away from fossil fuels. While the United States and several oil-producing countries opposed the greenhouse gas pricing mechanisms, supporters of the proposal argued that global coordination in regulations is essential to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and prevent the emergence of a conflicting regional system.
Security Challenges and Maritime Crises
Alongside these challenges, the IMO is also facing a dangerous security environment for maritime transport. According to the latest IMO statistics, since the onset of the Iran war in February 2023, 129 maritime incidents have been confirmed in the Strait of Hormuz and other areas of the Middle East, resulting in the deaths of 24 seafarers as of November 5. These statistics include damaged, sunk, or seized vessels and highlight the ongoing risks facing civilian shipping in one of the world's most crucial maritime regions.
These escalating crises raise fundamental questions about freedom of navigation and the international community's ability to protect commercial vessels and innocent seafarers caught in armed conflicts. Dominguez reiterated the existing threats to commercial shipping in the Middle East and other conflict zones, including the Red Sea and the Black Sea, at the beginning of this week's Council session.
However, the IMO's ability to influence military and geopolitical conflicts remains limited. Concurrent challenges have placed the organization in a difficult position, and geopolitical disputes have complicated the environmental agenda and the organization's long-term mission to promote safe and secure maritime transport.
