The Legal Committee held its 112th session from 24 – 28 March 2025 at IMO Headquarters in London and chaired by Diego Ramirez from the Marshall Islands. IUMI was represented virtually by Hendrike Kühl. Key outcomes with relevance for marine insurers include the following:
Liability and compensation regimes for alternative fuels
The Committee approved a new output on the “Suitability of IMO liability and compensation regimes with respect to alternative fuels”. This new output will consider the continuing and widespread uptake of alternative fuels including ammonia, methanol, hydrogen, biofuels and liquified natural gas (LNG), which present different risks to those posed by traditional hydrocarbon mineral fuels, such as oil. The aim is to assess whether existing liability and compensation frameworks remain adequate.
Maritime Autonomous Surface Ships (MASS)
The Committee approved the report of the third meeting of the Joint MSC-LEG-FAL Working Group on MASS (MASS-JWG), held 8 to 10 May 2024.
Noting the revision by MSC 109 of its road map on MASS, and subsequent similar revisions by FAL 49, the Committee agreed to revise its own road map on MASS, to align with the prospective target dates set by MSC 109.
Potential gaps in liability insurance for ‘non-IG insurers’
The agenda item related to potential gaps in liability insurance for ‘non-IG insurers’ was concluded. IUMI had been involved in this matter via members of our Legal & Liability Committee. Our thanks go to Keeley Wylie from Liberty Mutual Canada and Charles Fernandez from Canopius.
