Addressing Member States at the Organisation’s headquarters in London at the first official meeting of this year’s IMO calendar, the Secretary-General stated:

“It is with great concern that I must highlight the regrettable situation developing in the Red Sea on my first meeting as Secretary-General. I wish to take this opportunity to reiterate my strong condemnation of attacks against international shipping in the area and call for an immediate release of the Galaxy Leader and its crew.

“I will continue to reiterate my three key messages on the situation: seafarers are innocent victims, and their safety is paramount; the principle of freedom of navigation should be uphold and allow safe trade of essential goods; and the call for de-escalation of the situation.”

The car-carrier Galaxy Leader and its crew was seized by Houthi groups in November 2023 and are yet to be released. The IMO continues to work closely together with governments, partners from the shipping industry and the international community to monitor the situation in the Read Sea and take actions to protect ships, cargoes and seafarers.

Mr. Dominguez welcomed the role of the Sub-Committee in ensuring maritime safety, underscoring the importance of his year’s World Maritime theme: ‘Navigating the future: safety first!’. This week’s meeting runs from 22 to 26 January, chaired by Mr Erik Tvedt of Denmark.

Discussions will cover issues related to the safe design and construction of ships, including the reduction of underwater noise from commercial shipping which can impact marine wildlife and the marine environment.

The Sub-Committee reports to the IMO’s Maritime Safety Committee, the highest technical body of the Organisation.

Source: IMO