On November 28th, The Kingdom of the Netherlands has been re-elected to the Council of the International Maritime Organization (IMO) for the 2026-2027 term, underscoring the enduring commitment of the Netherlands in shaping a safe, sustainable, and resilient global maritime sector.
The Netherlands has been an almost continuous member of the Council since 1959. With the re-election, the Netherlands can continue to help determine how the IMO addresses major challenges, from advancing the transition to clean shipping to enhancing safety at sea.
Sustainability and safety at sea
The shipping industry faces a major task when it comes to sustainability and safety at sea. The Netherlands actively contributes to ship safety and environmental protection, for example through ongoing efforts to prevent container loss and to ensure the safe use of alternative fuels. To achieve further progress, the Netherlands will continue to seek cooperation with the IMO and other organizations.
Since the outbreak of the war in Ukraine, a shadow fleet has emerged that transports sanctioned Russian oil around the world. This is generally done using old, unsafe and uninsured ships. Recently, there is a noticeable increase of ships sailing under a false flag, including flags of countries within our Kingdom.
These ships pose a danger to safety at sea and to the vulnerable maritime environment. The Netherlands has been working internationally to tackle this practice.
Dutch maritime cluster
The importance of a strong maritime sector is significant for the Netherlands: together, the port and maritime cluster represents 7.3% of the Dutch GDP (2023).
The Netherlands looks forward to working with other member states to make the global maritime sector safer and future-proof.