Brief Report on The 34th General Assembly of The International Maritime Organization

The 34th General Assembly of the International Maritime Organization (IMO) was recently held at IMO headquarters in London, UK. Key topics included electing a new Council, reviewing the IMO Strategic Plan, considering the 2026-2027 financial budget, reviewing the IMO Member State review mechanism, and examining reports and recommendations from the IMO Council and its specialized committees since the last assembly.

At the meeting, China was elected as a Category A member of the IMO Council with the highest number of votes (155), highlighting China's special status and importance in maintaining the security and smooth operation of global supply chains. Other countries elected as Category A members included Italy, South Korea, the United Kingdom, Greece, Japan, Panama, the United States, Norway, and Liberia. In addition, the Assembly elected 10 Category B members and 20 Category C members.

After deliberation, the General Assembly adopted several resolutions, as follows:

(1) The revision of the "Charging Rules for Distress, Emergency and Safety Communications of Approved Mobile Satellite Services in the Global Maritime Distress and Safety System (GMDSS)" further regulates the charging practices for IMO-approved mobile satellite services (such as maritime satellites and low-Earth orbit satellites) in "distress, emergency and safety communications" scenarios within the GMDSS.

(2) The revision of the "Standards for the Provision of Mobile Satellite Communication Systems in GMDSS" updates performance standards and evaluation mechanisms, clarifying that mobile satellite communication systems can be included in GMDSS requirements—they must meet the IMO's "performance standards" (such as coverage, communication stability, distress signal priority, etc.) and pass the IMO's "evaluation and approval procedures."

(3) The 2025 "Alarms and Indicators Rules" regulate the "design of alarms and indicators" for ships and ship equipment (such as fire alarms, watertight door malfunction alarms, main engine malfunction indicators, etc.), ensuring that crew members can quickly identify the type and level of risk. This revision incorporates the requirements of IMO documents following the entry into force of the old 2009 rule (A.1021(26)) and updates the relevant cited clauses. Furthermore, irrelevant footnotes regarding “grouping of watertight door alarms” in the old draft have been edited out in the final text to avoid ambiguity.

(4) Port State Control Procedures 2025: This revision incorporates the relevant requirements of IMO amendments following the publication of the original procedures in 2023 (A.1185(33)) to ensure that port state control requirements are synchronized with the latest international convention rules. Resolution A.1185(33) is repealed upon the entry into force of the new resolution.

(5) Harmonized System for Inspection and Certification (HSSC) Inspection Guidelines 2025: This revision incorporates the inspection requirements of newly added and revised IMO documents following the publication of the old guidelines in 2023 (A.1186(33)), including mandatory requirements effective on or before December 31, 2025. The new resolution repeals the original resolution A.1186(33) upon its entry into force.

(6) The 2025 List of Mandatory Non-Exhaustive Obligations of the IMO in relation to the III Code, this revision incorporates the new and revised IMO-related documents since the publication of the 2023 version of the guidance (A.1187(33)), and includes the revisions to relevant IMO instruments that will come into effect before July 1, 2026. The new resolution repeals the original resolution A.11876(33) upon its entry into force.

Through this conference, the IMO further consolidated its global shipping leadership and strengthened its response to challenges such as technological development, environmental protection, and climate change, in order to promote safe, reliable, environmentally friendly, efficient, and sustainable shipping. The conference decided that the 35th General Assembly will be held at IMO headquarters at the end of 2027.

Information source: 

CCS (China Classification Society) official website: 中国船级社