Another Diplomatic Setback: Russia Fails to Secure Seat at UN Maritime Body
Russia failed to return to the governing council of the UN International Maritime Organization, receiving insufficient votes.
The Gaze reports on it, referring to Reuters.
On Friday, Russia failed to secure enough support to return to the governing council of the International Maritime Organization (IMO), which it lost in 2023.
This is Moscow's second failure after the September vote on the governing council of the UN International Aviation Agency that was seen as a sign of international criticism over Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
This time, Russia was among 48 countries competing for 40 seats on the Council for a two-year term. It was the only candidate that did not make it in the category of “ states with the largest interest in providing international shipping services,” where the US and China also competed.
The Ukrainian Foreign Minister, Andrii Sybiha, responded to this decision, calling it another defeat for Russia in elections to the governing bodies of international structures after failures at UNESCO and the OPCW. He added that this indicates Moscow's growing international isolation.
“Today’s vote demonstrates that the international community does not tolerate unlawful behaviour at sea. It reaffirms that international law prevails,” wrote Sybiha.
He stressed that Russia systematically violates international law, attacks civilian vessels, destroys port infrastructure, and operates a “shadow” fleet with disregard for safety standards. Therefore, in his opinion, it has no place in the IMO’s executive bodies.
The IMO, headquartered in London, is responsible for regulating the safety of international shipping and preventing ocean pollution. The organization has 176 member states, and Russia has been a member since 1958, regularly re-elected to the IMO Council until 2023.
Russia remains one of the main threats to maritime safety. Moscow actively uses a “shadow fleet” — hundreds of vessels with hidden ownership, turned-off transponders, and dubious insurance schemes, creating risks of collisions, oil spills, and uncontrolled activities in international waters.
In addition, the Russian military and special services use ships for reconnaissance and surveillance, in particular to gather information about port infrastructure and merchant ship routes.
For example, on November 19, a Latvian military ship intercepted the Russian tugboat Nina Sokolova in the Baltic Sea, suspected of conducting reconnaissance of underwater infrastructure. Although officially designated as a rescue tugboat, the vessel has been spotted for several years near critical infrastructure in the Baltic Sea, including submarine cables and power lines.
As The Gaze reported earlier, Danish military intelligence has accused Russia of conducting a series of deliberate naval provocations in the narrow waterways connecting the Baltic Sea to the North Sea.
Read more on The Gaze: Black Sea Security: The Role of Naval Bases in the Regional Architecture