# Notice of Shipping Coordinating Committee Public Meeting To Prepare for International Maritime Organization LEG 113 Session
The Department of State will conduct a public meeting at 10:00 a.m. on Thursday, April 2, 2026, by teleconference. The primary purpose of the meeting is to prepare for the 113th session of the International Maritime Organization's (IMO) Legal Committee to be held at IMO Headquarters in London, United Kingdom, from Monday, April 13, 2026 to Friday, April 17, 2026.
The agenda items to be considered include:
—Adoption of the agenda
—Report of the Secretary-General on credentials
—Facilitation of the entry into force and harmonized interpretation of the 2010 HNS Protocol
—Fair treatment of seafarers
(a) Provision of financial security in case of abandonment of seafarers, and shipowners' responsibilities in respect of contractual claims for personal injury to, or death of seafarers, in light of the progress of amendments to the ILO Maritime Labor Convention, 2006
(b) Fair treatment of seafarers in the event of a maritime accident
(c) Fair treatment of seafarers detained on suspicion of committing crimes
—Advice and guidance in connection with the implementation of IMO instruments
(a) Impact on shipping and seafarers of the situation in the Black Sea and the Sea of Azoz
—Measures to prevent unlawful practices associated with the fraudulent registration and fraudulent registries of ships
—Piracy and armed robbery against ships
—Measures to address maritime autonomous surface ships (MASS) in instruments under the purview of the Legal Committee
—Work of other IMO bodies
—Technical cooperation activities related to maritime legislation
—Review of the status of conventions and other treaty instruments emanating from the Legal Committee
—Development of guidelines or best practices on the registration of ships
—Regulatory scoping exercise of IMO conventions and other instruments available for Member States to further develop actions to prevent unlawful operations including substandard ships
—Suitability of IMO liability and compensation regimes with respect to alternative fuels
—Measures to address maritime security threats
—Work programme
—Election of officers
—Any other business
—Consideration of the report of the Committee on its 113th session
*Please note:* The IMO may, on short notice, adjust the LEG 113 agenda to accommodate any constraints associated with the meeting. Although no changes to the agenda are anticipated, if any are necessary, they will be provided to those who RSVP.
Those who plan to participate may contact the meeting coordinator, Mr. Stephen Huchen at *[email protected],* by phone at (571) 607-3731, or in writing at 2703 Martin Luther King Jr. Ave. SE, Stop 7509, Washington, DC 20593-7509, not later than March 19, 2026. Members of the public needing reasonable accommodation should advise Mr. Stephen Hubchen no later than March 31, 2026. Requests made after that date will be considered but might not be possible to fulfill.
Additional information regarding this and other IMO public meetings may be found at: *https://www.dco.uscg.mil/IMO.*
(Authority: 22 U.S.C. 2656, 5 U.S.C. 1001 *et seq.* )
Emily C. Miletello,
Coast Guard Liaison Officer, Office of Ocean and Polar Affairs, U.S. Department of State.