KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia has secured 13th position out of 20 contested seats, obtaining 129 votes out of a total of 171 valid votes through its nomination for the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) Council Category C seat for the 2026-2027 term at the 34th Session of the IMO General Assembly.
The Transport Ministry said Malaysia has successfully retained its IMO Category C Council seat for the 11th consecutive term. Malaysia was among 26 countries competing in the category, including South Africa, Saudi Arabia, Bahamas, Bangladesh, Belgium, Chile, Cyprus, Denmark, the Philippines, Finland, Indonesia, Jamaica, Kenya, Malta, Egypt, Mexico, Morocco, Nigeria, Oman, Pakistan, Peru, Qatar, Singapore, Thailand and Turkey.
"Malaysia has shown a positive and consistent trend over the past three IMO Council election cycles, securing 128 votes in 2021, 134 votes in 2023 and 129 votes in the 2025 election.
"This continued support reflects the confidence of IMO member states in Malaysia's active role, record as a reliable maritime partner, as well as the country's commitment to maritime safety, environmental protection and global capacity building," it said in a media statement on Saturday (Nov 29).
The ministry said the success was driven by strategic cooperation and close coordination among the Transport Ministry, the Foreign Affairs Ministry, the Marine Department, port authorities and representatives of the maritime industry and associations.
"This collective effort ensures that Malaysia continues to be recognised as a constructive partner in the international maritime community," it said.
In line with the renewed mandate, Malaysia will strengthen its role in capacity building programmes through the IMO Integrated Technical Cooperation Programme (ITCP) programme, in addition to offering technical expertise, professional training and human capital development support, particularly to developing countries, least developed countries (LDCs) and small island developing states (SIDS).
"The ministry will identify member countries that have the potential to benefit from Malaysia's expertise directly.
"Malaysia is also committed to increasing its participation in the IMO main committees such as the Maritime Safety Committee, Marine Environment Protection Committee, Legal Committee, Technical Cooperation Committee and Facilitation Committee," it said. – Bernama
