The 137th Session of the Council (C 137) was held from 6 to 10 July 2026 at the IMO Headquarters in London.The highlights of the meetings are as follows:

1. Adoption of a resolution on the protection of key international waterways, reaffirming the importance of safeguarding navigational rights and freedoms in accordance with international law.
C 137 adopted a resolution reaffirming the importance of safeguarding navigational rights and freedoms in accordance with international law. The Council emphasized that the right of transit passage through straits used for international navigation should not be threatened, obstructed, denied, impeded, impaired, or suspended. The Council further reaffirmed that any measures adopted by coastal States to regulate vessel traffic in key waterways should be consistent with the relevant requirements and standards developed.

2. Continuing challenges in the Strait of Hormuz; reaffirmation that all ships should enjoy non-discriminatory and unimpeded transit passage, and request to the IMO Secretary-General to explore options for enhancing maritime traffic safety and restoring the free flow of navigation.
With regard to the ongoing challenges faced by international shipping in and around the Strait of Hormuz, the Council condemned attacks on civilian merchant ships and called for de-escalation of tensions in the Middle East. The Council emphasized that any arrangements among States bordering the straits in the region should ensure that all ships are able to exercise the right of non-discriminatory and unimpeded transit passage in accordance with the internationally recognized traffic separation scheme adopted by IMO in 1968. 
The Council further reaffirmed that, in accordance with international law, including the Convention on the International Maritime Organization, no tolls or other charges should be imposed on ships for passage through the Strait. The Council requested the Secretary-General to explore feasible options for enhancing the safety of maritime traffic and to cooperate with States bordering the Strait, other Member States and industry stakeholders, with a view to restoring unimpeded passage through the Strait in a coordinated and sustainable manner. 

3. Cooperative Mechanism for the Straits of Malacca and Singapore.
The Council took note of the experience shared by Indonesia, Malaysia, and Singapore in jointly managing the Straits of Malacca and Singapore through the “Cooperative Mechanism”, under which governments and the shipping industry share responsibilities and costs for maintaining the Straits. C 137 also invited interested Member States and other stakeholders to consider making financial or in-kind contributions to the two funds established under the Mechanism, namely the Aids to Navigation Fund and the IMO Straits of Malacca and Singapore Trust Fund, in support of the Cooperative Mechanism. 

4. Latest progress of the IMO Member State Audit Scheme. 
The Council welcomed the successful completion of the first audit cycle of the IMO Member State Audit Scheme (IMSAS). Since mandatory audits were introduced in 2016, a total of 168 audits have been completed. The Council encouraged audited Member States to authorize the publication of their final audit reports in order to enhance transparency. Of the five audits scheduled for 2026, three had already been completed, covering Belarus, Haiti, and Mozambique. The remaining audits of Eritrea and Yemen were continuing according to the planned schedule. 

5. Other important decisions. 
The Council approved IMO’s Annual Report for 2025, the updated Risk Management Policy, and a new Strategic Fraud Risk Management Annex. It also granted consultative status to four non-governmental organizations, including the International Electric Marine Association, the Mærsk Mc-Kinney Møller Center for Zero Carbon Shipping, and the marine fuels industry coalition SEA-LNG. In addition, the Ocean Foundation was granted provisional consultative status for up to two years. 

References:
1. International Maritime Organization (IMO), Council, 137th session (C 137), 6 to 10 July 2026.  https://www.imo.org/en/mediacentre/meetingsummaries/pages/council-137th-session.aspx