IMO Council Tackles Hormuz Security and Piracy Surge

Maritime Security Dominates IMO Council Session

The International Maritime Organization’s 137th Council session opened in London this week with maritime security issues taking center stage. According to a report by gCaptain, IMO Secretary-General Arsenio Dominguez used his opening remarks to flag ongoing instability near the Strait of Hormuz alongside a fresh wave of piracy incidents in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden, framing both as direct threats to the safety of vital shipping corridors.

Dominguez told delegates that seafarers have died in connection with the Hormuz conflict, noting that the fallout has rippled well past the region, touching global trade flows, energy supply, and food security. He said conditions there appear to be easing but stopped short of declaring the crisis over, adding that he intends to brief Council members later in the five-day session on the broader effort to safeguard key transit routes.

Piracy Numbers Climb Off Somalia and Yemen

Alongside the Hormuz situation, Dominguez warned that piracy has re-emerged as a serious concern in waters off Somalia and Yemen. He cited 24 incidents of piracy or attempted piracy in that area over the past three months alone. He also renewed calls for the release of 44 seafarers currently held aboard three hijacked vessels — identified as the MT Honour 25, Eureka, and Sward — describing their situation as dire and asking Council members for support in securing their freedom.

Adding to the picture, Dominguez disclosed that the Palau-flagged bulk carrier Lady Naeima came under pirate attack in the Red Sea over the weekend. The ship was able to continue its voyage and no crew injuries were reported. The incident echoes recent warnings from the Joint Maritime Information Center that hostile small-craft activity in the Gulf of Aden remains elevated, with pirate groups still able to mount aggressive assaults on merchant traffic despite seasonal monsoon conditions typically associated with reduced activity.

Council’s Broader Agenda

Beyond the security briefings, the Council session — running through July 10 — is working through a wide slate of organizational business, including updates from the Maritime Safety Committee, Marine Environment Protection Committee, Legal Committee, Facilitation Committee, and Technical Cooperation Committee, plus the IMO Awards. A specific agenda item is dedicated to protecting vital shipping lanes, and members are expected to weigh a proposed resolution reaffirming support for navigational rights and freedoms through international straits.

Dominguez also confirmed that two long-pending international agreements — the 2012 Cape Town Agreement and the 2010 HNS Protocol — have now cleared the thresholds required to enter into force, a milestone for both instruments after years of slow ratification.

What This Means for Owners and Managers

For ship owners, managers, and charterers, the combination of a still-fragile Hormuz corridor and a resurgent piracy threat off Somalia and Yemen is a reminder that security risk is not confined to a single chokepoint or a single season. Vessels transiting these zones face compounding exposure: political and military tension in one region, opportunistic armed robbery in another, and the operational strain of maintaining heightened vigilance across both simultaneously.

This has direct implications for pre-voyage planning and vessel condition assurance. Operators routing through high-risk waters should ensure security plans, crew welfare provisions, and communication protocols are current, and that vessels are in verified seaworthy condition before entering contested transit zones — since any delay, diversion, or incident in these areas amplifies the cost of unresolved deficiencies. Independent condition surveys and pre-voyage inspections become more valuable, not less, when a ship may need to alter course, extend a passage, or hold position for extended periods due to security conditions beyond the master’s control.

The entry into force of the Cape Town Agreement, once implemented, will also raise the bar for fishing vessel safety standards, a development technical superintendents overseeing mixed fleets should begin tracking now rather than waiting for enforcement dates to approach.

The Council session’s outcomes on the shipping-lanes resolution and further updates on Hormuz and Somali piracy are expected before the meeting concludes on July 10.

Reviewed by Ibrahim Halil Ceylan, Marine Surveyor at Apeks Marine.