A call to disqualify Russia for election to IMO Council

Ukraine issues statement against Russia’s re-election

INTERNATIONAL: Ukraine has asked Member States of the International Maritime Organisation not to re-elect the Russian Federation to the Council when they vote in December this year.

Currently elected to the Council in Category A, the Russian Federation has enjoyed unbroken representation since 1961 and a vote against their re-election will send a strong signal that the condemnation expressed by the key bodies of the IMO over the last two years bears weight.

In an IMO circular, the Ukraine contests that re-electing the Russian Federation will undermine the credibility and the effectiveness of the IMO. “The Russian Federation has no right to be re-elected to the IMO Council (under any category) and participate in the development of IMO policy.”

The Russian Federation has already been suspended from a number of international organisations or faced removal from organisational governing structures since invading Ukraine including the UN Human Rights Organisation, International Civil Aviation Organisation’s Council and the International Mobile Satellite Organisation’s Advisory Committee.

In addition the Russian Federation's participation in the technical cooperation activities of the International Labour Organisation, International Maritime Organisation and International Hydrographic Organisation has been suspended since 2022.

Ukraine adds that “The ongoing armed aggression of the Russian Federation is a clear manifestation of this country's blatant violations of International Maritime Law including the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), Convention on the International Maritime Organization (IMO Convention) and relevant IMO conventions (SOLAS, MARPOL, SAR, STCW, etc.) and other instruments.”