The International Maritime Organization (IMO) has adopted a resolution on the protection of shipping lanes at the 137th session of the IMO Council, following a proposal led by Singapore and co-sponsored by 30 member states, including Indonesia and Malaysia.

The resolution reaffirms the importance of upholding and respecting navigational rights and freedoms for commercial ships transiting through shipping lanes — including straits used for international navigation — in accordance with international law as reflected in the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS). It also reaffirms the need to abide by IMO regulations and standards.

Co-sponsors of the resolution include Australia, Belgium, Canada, France, Germany, Greece, Japan, the Netherlands, Norway, the Philippines, South Africa, South Korea, Spain, Sweden and the United Arab Emirates, among others.

The resolution states that IMO should "remain steadfast in upholding the principles of international law as reflected in UNCLOS and the IMO Convention," describing these instruments as fundamental to global trade. It also underscores the role of the IMO as the global regulator in preventing unilateral measures that could affect maritime governance, noting that IMO is the only recognised competent international organisation under UNCLOS for establishing technical standards and safety measures in straits used for international navigation.

According to the resolution's co-sponsors, any measure that threatens or hampers navigational rights and freedoms — including the right of transit passage — carries economic consequences, including diverted routes, increased freight rates and longer port waiting times, while also placing pressure on the safety and well-being of seafarers.

The resolution urges all member states to ensure that any measures taken in shipping lanes do not discriminate among foreign ships or have the practical effect of denying or impairing the right of transit passage. It further urges member states to refrain from unlawful measures that jeopardise the safety of seafarers or interfere with the lawful exercise of navigational rights.

The document submitted to the council noted that international shipping facilitates over 80% of world trade by volume, and that geopolitical tensions in recent years have underscored the need for a unified reaffirmation from the IMO and the international maritime community regarding the protection of shipping lanes.

The resolution also references the Co-operative Mechanism on Safety of Navigation and Environmental Protection in the Straits of Malacca and Singapore, established in 2007 under IMO's "Protection of Vital Shipping Lanes" initiative, describing it as a model of cooperation between littoral states, user states and stakeholders.

Singapore's Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore stated that the resolution "reflects Singapore's longstanding commitment to upholding international law, and to safeguarding an open, stable and predictable maritime environment," describing Singapore as "an open and trade-dependent economy" that relies on a stable, rules-based international order.