The Legal Committee (LEG) of the International Maritime Organization (IMO) convened for its 112th session from 24 to 28 March 2025 at the IMO Headquarters in London.
The recent session of the IMO Legal Committee saw significant discussions and developments across a range of maritime issues impacting shipping and particularly seafarers, as informed by BIMCO.
A key development from the committee’s recent session was the adoption of the finalised guidelines, following the recommendations of the Joint ILO-IMO Tripartite Working Group (JTWG).
These guidelines, developed during the JTWG’s third meeting in November 2024, aim to address the growing number of seafarers detained in such cases and improve coordination between flag states, port states, seafarers’ home states and shipowners to ensure fair treatment.
Furthermore, the guidelines emphasise the need for clear principles that can be adapted to various national systems, aiming to prevent the criminalisation of seafarers before thorough investigations.
The IMO Legal Committee expressed significant concerns over the alarming rise in seafarer abandonment cases, with 310 new incidents recorded in 2024 alone, surpassing previous years. Of these, 144 lacked mandatory financial guarantees for repatriation, leaving 3,133 seafarers stranded across 282 vessels. This surge in cases highlighted the urgent need for stricter enforcement of the Maritime Labour Convention (MLC), particularly its financial security provisions.
The Committee acknowledged the efforts of the ILO, IMO, and ITF but stressed the importance of improving compliance with the MLC and the accuracy of reporting in the IMO/ILO joint database, which is an essential tool for resolving abandonment cases.
Delegates also recommended enhanced coordination among stakeholders, the establishment of national contact points to aid repatriation and the need for concentrated inspections on financial security.
Member states were urged to ratify and implement international instruments, with additional campaigns to raise seafarers’ awareness of their financial security in case of abandonment. The Committee also highlighted the importance of updating the IMO/ILO joint database to improve coordination and the timeliness of responses.