IMO Council backs Dominguez for second term amid shipping attacks and climate deadlock

The IMO Council has endorsed Secretary-General Arsenio Dominguez for a second four-year term from January 1, 2028 to December 31, 2031, pending IMO Assembly approval in late 2027. The move comes as member states remain divided over the Net-Zero Framework and confirmed Middle East shipping incidents include 129 events and 24 seafarer deaths since February.