Maritime News

This article presents an overview of the upcoming regulations in 2026 to improve safety and environmental protection.

Despite decades of awareness campaigns, regulatory updates, and repeated industry commitments, seafarers and shore workers continue to lose their lives in enclosed spaces on board ships, often in circumstances that were entirely preventable.

The International Maritime Organization (IMO) has adopted new mandatory safety requirements for onboard lifting appliances and their associated loose gear through SOLAS Regulation II-1/3-13. This regulation, effective from 1 January 2026, aims to prevent accidents, enhance safety, and establish uniform standards for the design, construction, installation, and maintenance of this equipment. These requirements are applicable to a wide range of lifting appliances, including cargo cranes, engine-room cranes, stores cranes, and hose handling cranes.

New IMSBC Code amendments take effect on 1 January 2027, with voluntary adoption from 1 January 2026. The changes introduce new cargo schedules, revised classifications, and updated certification and safety requirements for shipowners and operators carrying solid bulk cargoes.

The IMO Sub-Committee on Ship Design and Construction (SDC) convened its eleventh session from January 19 to 23, 2026. This Brief provides an overview of the more significant issues progressed at this session.