The 135th session of the IMO Council (C 135) was held from 19th to 21st November 2025, and the 136th session was held on 3rd December 2025, right after the A 34 meeting. The highlights of the two meetings are as follows:

1. C 135 had approved the revised results-based regular budget proposal for the 2026-2027 biennium and submitted it to the Assembly (A 34) for deliberation to ensure the financial sustainability required for the organization's operation, technical cooperation, and capacity building;

2. To coordinate the integration of the IMO Identification Number Scheme with the company/shipowner identification code scheme to form a regulatory framework. The aim is to enhance vessel traceability, combat fraud, and ensure consistency in certification and regulatory systems. The regulatory framework encompasses two sets of systems:

(1) Under the IMO Number Scheme, each ship is assigned a permanent and unique seven-digit IMO number. This number remains unchanged throughout the ship’s entire life cycle and is not affected by changes in the ship’s name, ownership, or flag. The purpose is to enhance maritime safety and help prevent maritime fraud.
(2) Under the IMO Shipowner/Company Identification Number Scheme, permanent and unique IMO numbers are assigned to shipowners and operating companies and are used across various certificates and compliance regimes, so as to clearly identify the entity responsible for a ship’s operation or ownership.
The draft resolution proposed by the Council for consideration by the 34th session of the General Assembly would consolidate the above two sets of systems into a single integrated system to enhance overall operational efficiency and consistency.

3. C 135 had approved amendments to Rule 28 of the Rules of Procedure of the Assembly, which will include the Arabic language as a working language of the Assembly. A 34 had agreed to introduce Arabic as a working language of IMO. As an important institutional adjustment for multilingualism and modernization of organizational governance, it will be officially adopted at the 35th IMO Assembly (in 2028). 

4. The Council noted that there are several IMO Conventions and instruments that have not yet reached the conditions to be taken into force, including: 
(1) The 2021 Amendment to the Convention on the International Maritime Organization;
(2) The 2010 Protocol on Preparedness, Response and Co-operation to pollution Incidents by Hazardous and Noxious Substances (the 2010 HNS Protocol);
(3) The 2012 Cape Town Agreement (2012 CTA).

Other amendments to the IMO instruments that require explicit acceptance include: 

(1) The 2008 Convention on the International Maritime Satellite Organization; 
(2) The 2009 Convention on the Prevention of Marine Pollution by Dumping of Wastes and Other Matter and the 1996 London Protocol (2009 London Protocol);
(3) the 2013 amendments to the London Protocol.

5. Completed the election of new members and the handover of duties for the 2026-2027 term of the IMO Council, and ensured that the subsequent budget, governance, and regulatory-related Agendas can be continued and advanced.

References:
1. IMO, Council, 135th session (C 135), 19 to 21 November 2025. https://www.imo.org/en/mediacentre/meetingsummaries/pages/council-135th-session.aspx   
2. IMO, Council, 136th session (C 136), 3 December 2025. https://www.imo.org/en/mediacentre/meetingsummaries/pages/council-136th-session.aspx