IMO reports 25 seafarer deaths amid commercial shipping attacks

At least 130 incidents involving commercial vessels have been confirmed in the Middle East since the conflict began, and 25 seafarers have been killed, according to the International Maritime Organization’s latest figures.

Last week, an attack on the tanker Velos Sapphire produced the latest reported death aboard a commercial vessel. Thousands of other seafarers remain exposed, including crews aboard vessels unable to leave the Persian Gulf, as the conflict threatens vital shipping routes.

What did the IMO Council decide?

The IMO Council’s 138th session in London last week placed those casualties within a broader maritime-security debate. Members addressed the war involving Iran, Houthi attacks in the Red Sea and Russian strikes on shipping and port infrastructure in Ukraine.

“Seafarers continue to lose their lives, suffer serious injuries, face abandonment, are denied repatriation and are deprived of basic human necessities, including water, food and medical care, resulting from the ongoing geopolitical conflicts,” IMO Secretary-General Arsenio Dominguez said. The Council called for stronger protection of merchant ships and crews.

The Council reiterated that international shipping lanes must remain open, safe and secure, and said seafarers should not bear the consequences of geopolitical disputes beyond their control. It urged member states to refrain from unlawful actions that could endanger commercial shipping. It also called for additional measures to prevent further loss of life.

Dominguez pledged to examine what more the IMO can do to protect crews and ease the humanitarian consequences of the conflicts. That review will sit alongside the Council’s request for stronger national action.

What does this mean for shippers and carriers?

For shippers using Middle East or Persian Gulf services, the 130-incident tally and crews’ inability to leave the Persian Gulf show why route availability cannot be separated from continuity of service. For carriers operating through the Red Sea, Bab al-Mandab or Black Sea, protection and safe passage remain inseparable from keeping vessels moving. For forwarders, the Council’s region-by-region monitoring supports more specific security planning.

The Council strongly condemned Houthi attacks against merchant vessels and crews in the Red Sea and Bab al-Mandab Strait. It also condemned Russian attacks targeting commercial ships, seafarers, ports and maritime safety infrastructure supporting Ukraine’s Black Sea shipping corridor.

The security risk therefore extends beyond the Strait of Hormuz and across several trade corridors. The commercial consequence combines threats to vessels and crews with damage to ports and safety systems needed to sustain Black Sea shipping.

Renewed piracy and armed robbery add another layer in the Western Indian Ocean and Gulf of Aden, where 17 attempted or actual incidents have been reported since the beginning of 2026. The Council directed Dominguez to continue monitoring developments across these regions and keep member states informed.

That mandate now covers the Middle East, Red Sea, Bab al-Mandab, Black Sea, Western Indian Ocean and Gulf of Aden. For carriers and forwarders, the immediate task is to maintain safe access while the Council presses for measures against further deaths and unlawful actions.

What other decisions came out of the session?

The Council backed Dominguez for a second four-year term, which would extend his leadership through December 2031. The decision still requires approval by the IMO Assembly in 2027, leaving the tenure extension pending rather than final.

Members also approved initial £2 million in funding to modernize the IMO’s Global Integrated Shipping Information System and develop an e-learning platform. The allocation provides initial support for two tools: upgraded shipping information and digital training.

The Council selected China’s Yu Jiajia as the recipient of the 2027 IMO Gender Equality Award. The award is scheduled for 2027, the same year the Assembly will consider Dominguez’s appointment.

What should shipping watch next?

Shipping operators should watch for additional protection measures from the IMO and its member states as attacks continue across the monitored regions. Dominguez’s promised review and the Assembly’s 2027 decision on his second term will set the next policy milestones for the UN maritime agency.