Russia makes bid to rejoin IMO’s top tier amid geopolitical tensions

The International Maritime Organization (IMO) is set for one of its most closely watched council elections in recent years, with member states voting today in London to decide whether Russia can reclaim its place within the UN agency’s highest decision-making group.

Forty council seats — divided into Categories (a), (b) and (c) — will be filled through a secret ballot, with 48 countries contesting. While competition is tighter across the board compared with the previous election cycle, the spotlight is firmly on Category (a), which is reserved for the ten countries deemed to have the “largest interest” in providing international shipping services.

The IMO council functions as the organisation’s executive arm, guiding and overseeing its work between sessions of the assembly. Members are elected for two-year terms.

Russia lost its long-standing Category (a) seat for the 2024–25 term after its invasion of Ukraine, a dramatic political rebuke that ended decades of uninterrupted representation at the top tier. Moscow is now seeking to regain the position it once held alongside the United States, though its prospects may be complicated by recent reminders of its outstanding financial contributions to the IMO.

Washington’s bid to retain its own seat is also drawing attention, as diplomats weigh the implications of President Trump’s repeated criticism of UN bodies.

If re-elected, the Category (a) roster would remain unchanged — aside from the question of whether member states are prepared to welcome Russia back.

In the lower categories, Argentina is attempting to secure a place in Category (b), while Category (c) has become the most competitive segment, with six countries — Belgium, Nigeria, Oman, Pakistan, South Africa and Thailand — fighting for entry into the 20-seat group that ensures broad geographic representation. Belgium, which unexpectedly lost its long-held seat in the last cycle, is mounting an especially forceful campaign to return.

The results of today’s vote will clarify whether the IMO’s membership is ready to move past recent geopolitical fractures — or maintain the diplomatic isolation imposed on Russia two years ago.