The International Maritime Organization is moving to tighten global ship safety management rules after its Maritime Safety Committee agreed to revise ISM Code guidance for flag states and shipping companies, with fatigue, work and rest hours, and violence and harassment on board among the key targets, according to the International Maritime Organization.
The decision was taken at the committee’s 110th session in London from 18 to 27 June. IMO said a full meeting summary will follow, with the current statement setting out highlights from the session.
The revision will cover IMO guidelines on implementing the International Safety Management Code for administrations and companies. The committee also agreed to strengthen consistent enforcement of the code, including through port State control and updated related IMO guidance.
The work is aimed at closing gaps in the code’s application and will take account of recommendations from an independent study commissioned by the IMO Secretariat in the previous year on the effectiveness and implementation of the ISM Code.
The process will run for three years to 2028 and will be handled by the Sub-Committee on Implementation of IMO Instruments, working with the Sub-Committee on Human Element, Training and Watchkeeping.
IMO also intends the review to address violence and harassment on ships, including sexual harassment, bullying and sexual assault. The proposed measures include incorporating policies into safety management systems to prevent, report, respond to and document cases, with victim care, protection against retaliation, risk assessment and safeguards.
The recommendations also call for safety management systems to comply with mandatory regulations and national laws on violence and harassment. They require clear responsibilities for senior company management and maritime administrations, adequate onboard and shoreside resources, access to medical and mental health support, and training for seafarers and designated shore personnel.
The committee separately put fatigue and hours of work and rest higher on its agenda. It instructed the Human Element, Training and Watchkeeping sub-committee, together with the Implementation of IMO Instruments sub-committee, to analyse relevant IMO provisions over 2026 and 2027, including workload, crewing levels and seafarer wellbeing.
The committee also noted the ongoing review of the STCW Convention, where a gap in regulations on hours of rest has been identified.
Other outcomes included progress on the non-mandatory Code for Maritime Autonomous Surface Ships, continued work on safety regulations for alternative fuels and new technologies, the start of work to review the Nuclear Code, a resolution encouraging maritime information-sharing, support for a non-mandatory cybersecurity code, and amendments to SOLAS and related instruments covering pilot transfer arrangements.
The International Maritime Organization is the United Nations specialised agency responsible for global rules on ship safety, maritime security and the prevention of marine and atmospheric pollution by ships. Its Maritime Safety Committee is a technical body dealing with safety and security issues in international shipping.
