IMO Council backs second term for Dominguez through 2031

The International Maritime Organization’s Council has endorsed a second four-year term for secretary-general Arsenio Dominguez, potentially keeping him in charge of the UN shipping agency until December 2031. Splash 247 reported that the 40-member body backed the extension at its 138th session in London, although the appointment remains subject to formal approval by the IMO Assembly in late 2027.

If confirmed, the Panamanian’s next term would run from 1 January 2028 to 31 December 2031. Dominguez began his current tenure in January 2024, succeeding South Korea’s Kitack Lim after winning Council support in July 2023 and later securing Assembly approval. The latest endorsement comes as the organisation confronts disagreements over shipping’s decarbonisation and continuing threats to commercial vessels.

A central issue during his first term has been the IMO’s Net-Zero Framework, intended to establish a worldwide marine fuel standard alongside a mechanism for pricing emissions. According to Splash 247, member states reached agreement in principle in April 2025, but adoption was postponed for a year in October 2025 after opposition spearheaded by the United States and Saudi Arabia. Differences between governments have complicated efforts to advance the framework.

Negotiations to bring the agreement back on track have continued during 2026. The next round is scheduled for the Marine Environment Protection Committee’s meeting from 30 November to 3 December, with an extraordinary session planned for 4 December to reconsider adoption. Those discussions leave the emissions package as a significant unresolved matter ahead of the Assembly’s consideration of Dominguez’s reappointment.

Maritime security is also on the agenda of the Council meeting, with the IMO facing pressure over attacks and disruption affecting the Strait of Hormuz, Red Sea and Black Sea. Dominguez, the organisation’s tenth secretary-general, previously headed its Marine Environment Division and served as administrative director and chief of staff. Earlier in his career, he represented Panama at the IMO and chaired the Marine Environment Protection Committee.