At the 113th session of the Legal Committee of the International Maritime Organization (IMO), which took place from 13 to 17 April in London, a decision was made to develop a standard operating procedure in cases of seafarers being abandoned without assistance.

As reported by the press center of the Russian Ministry of Transport, following a review of issues related to the fair treatment of seafarers, including the provision of financial support in the event of seafarers being left without assistance, the Committee instructed the Joint Tripartite Working Group of the International Labour Organization (ILO) and the IMO to develop a standard operating procedure with specific timelines for coordinated action by all parties involved. 

Another key topic discussed in detail during the Committee’s work was the development of international legal regulation for the operation of autonomous marine surface vessels (IANS). Participants at the meeting, in which the Russian delegation actively participated, considered amendments to the roadmap for the Legal Committee’s participation in the development of the IANS Code, reflecting the results of the previous sessions of the Maritime Safety Committee (MSC 110) and the Facilitation Committee (FCC 49), held in 2025.

The Committee also considered the Russian Federation’s proposal to establish a special Working Group to conduct a substantive review of the Autonomous Surface Ships Code and identify potential future issues from the Legal Committee’s perspective. Following the meeting, it was decided to revert to this discussion at the Committee’s next session, taking into account the decision of the Maritime Safety Committee (MSC 111) regarding the adoption of the IAS Code.