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IMO
Every Vessel Hunter story on IMO: 31 stories, from 1 July 2026 to 7 October 2026. Newest: "Eighteen Maritime States Warn the Global Shipping Rulebook Is Breaking Down". Each story links to the ships and ports it names, so a name in the text opens the record behind it.
Eighteen Maritime States Warn the Global Shipping Rulebook Is Breaking Down
The Consultative Shipping Group, whose members carry more than a fifth of global trade by tonnage, warns that fragmenting rules and a growing shadow fleet are creating a two-tier maritime system.
Netherlands to enforce scrubber washwater ban in ports from 1 July 2030
Open-loop scrubber washwater may no longer be discharged in Dutch ports and inland waters from 1 July 2030, the Dutch infrastructure minister has told parliament.
Master Killed in Black Sea Drone Attack as Turkey Circulates Truce Text
A drone strike on a Ukraine-bound Tanzanian-flagged cargo ship killed the master and injured three crew, days after Turkey handed Russia and Ukraine a draft memorandum on ending attacks on merchant shipping.
One in Ten Container Inspections Found Deficiencies in 2025
Deficiencies turned up in 9,645 of 93,079 container inspections filed for 2025, a rate of 10.36 percent, and only seven of the IMO's 170-plus member states reported at all.
Oman Calls Off Salalah Conference on a New Strait of Hormuz Transit Corridor
Oman has cancelled the Salalah conference at which it was to present a draft Strait of Hormuz transit corridor agreed with Iran, after Gulf states declined to take part.
Container Ship Fires Rise 20% as Lithium Cargo Slips Through SP188
A new study puts the rise in ship fires at 20% year on year and a major container ship fire at one every 17 days, and points at Special Provision 188 as the gap through which lithium cells travel unseen.
IMO Ends Another Net-Zero Session Divided, With Three Meetings Left in 2026
The IMO's latest working group closed after four days without a finalised text, deferring the lifecycle framework and pushing key decisions to a run of sessions in late November and early December.
IMO Secretary General Rules Out Hardening Merchant Ships Against Missiles
Asked at SMM whether shipping ought to reinforce vessels against missile and drone attack, the IMO Secretary General answered no, and repeated the call for ships to stay out of the Strait of Hormuz.
Singapore Warns Owners and Agents Over False Vessel Data Filed for Port Calls
The Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore has warned that false or unverifiable information on identity, ownership, cargo or trading history could bring enforcement action.
IMO Says 400 Ships and 6,000 Seafarers Still Cannot Leave the Persian Gulf
Washington says the mines are cleared and the transit routes are open; tracking data shows a trickle of ships out and very few going back in.
IMO Says More Than 90 Seafarers Are Held as Piracy Returns to the Gulf of Aden
At least 15 attacks have been recorded this year against five in the whole of 2025, with the hijacking of the tanker Seamull on 20 August the most recent.
Turkish and Somali Forces Retake the Hijacked Coaster Lutuf off Somalia
The Cameroon-flagged general cargo ship Lutuf has been recovered nearly two weeks after Somali pirates seized it while it was carrying supplies to a Turkish military base in Mogadishu.
US and Iran Trade Fire as Third Tanker Is Hit in Strait of Hormuz
American forces struck Iranian launchers on Larak Island and Tehran retaliated with missiles and drones, ending a month-long lull as a third tanker in a week was hit near Hormuz.
K Shipbuilding books six product tankers worth $368m for 2028 delivery
K Shipbuilding has signed contracts worth about $368 million for six product tankers across two types, with sequential delivery starting in the first half of 2028.
DNV Says Efficiency, Not Fuel Switching, Carries Shipping to 2050
DNV's annual forecast puts energy efficiency and speed reduction ahead of alternative fuels, projecting a 16 percent emissions cut by 2030 from efficiency alone.
IMO Says 400 Ships and 6,000 Seafarers Still Cannot Leave the Gulf
The IMO says up to 400 ships carrying around 6,000 seafarers have been unable to leave the Persian Gulf safely since the conflict began.
Report Flags Invasive Species Risk From Gulf of California LNG Traffic
A study finds proposed LNG export projects in Mexico's Gulf of California could raise the risk of invasive species arriving through ballast water discharge and hull biofouling.
Tanker Hit and Disabled on Omani Side of the Strait of Hormuz
A projectile struck an oil tanker off Musandam overnight, damaging the engine room and disabling the ship on the Omani coastal route through the strait.
MARAD Signs Nuclear Propulsion Agreement With CORE POWER
The US Maritime Administration and CORE POWER have agreed to work through the regulatory and commercial obstacles blocking a US-flagged nuclear-powered merchant fleet.
IMO Demands Release of More Than 90 Seafarers Held by Pirates
The IMO has demanded the immediate release of more than 90 seafarers held by pirates and armed robbers, with six vessels now detained after a resurgence of attacks.
Syria and Myanmar Appear as False Flags on Russia-Linked Tankers
Russia-linked tankers claimed Syrian and Myanmar flags for the first time in the second quarter, as the IMO's list of falsely flagged vessels climbed to 580.
Landlocked Kyrgyz Republic Warns IMO That Its Flag Is Being Faked
Bishkek told the IMO it has authorised nobody to register or operate seagoing vessels under its flag, the latest state to find its registry impersonated.
IMO Completes First Global Audit Cycle Of Its Member States
The International Maritime Organization has completed its first full member state audit cycle, assessing 168 states on how effectively they implement its regulations.
IMO chief condemns renewed attacks on shipping in Red Sea
The head of the International Maritime Organization has condemned renewed attacks on shipping in the Red Sea, warning of risks to seafarers, trade routes and the marine environment.
Five seafarers killed in Black Sea port strike
Five seafarers have been killed and 12 injured after a strike on a merchant ship working cargo at a port in Ukraine's Odesa region, one of the deadliest single strikes on commercial shipping of the war.
Somalia joins 15 maritime conventions
Somalia has acceded to 15 international maritime conventions in a push to tighten its legal framework across ship safety, navigation, pollution response and maritime security.
IMO and Oman orchestrate phased reopening of Hormuz
A US-Iran memorandum and a temporary Oman/IMO corridor are lifting Strait of Hormuz transits to their highest since the February closure, though Allianz warns of a structural shift in maritime risk.
IMO backs mineralisation pathway for onboard carbon capture
The IMO has given in-principle support to recognising carbon mineralisation as permanent storage, potentially opening a new pathway for onboard carbon capture and storage systems.
Hormuz moves from shutdown to managed recovery
Traffic through the Strait of Hormuz is recovering under heavy restrictions as the IMO oversees the evacuation of more than 11,000 stranded seafarers, in what Windward calls the clearest sign yet of returning normalcy.
Carbon pricing is becoming a compliance maze
Overlapping carbon schemes — EU ETS, FuelEU Maritime and the IMO framework — risk duplicated reporting and double charging for shipowners. EmissionLink's Philippos Ioulianou on navigating the maze.
Hormuz reopening plans thrown into doubt after Evergreen boxship attack
A drone attack on Evergreen's Ever Lovely shortly after it transited the Strait of Hormuz has stalled the fragile reopening of the waterway and prompted the IMO to pause its evacuation of stranded vessels.
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