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This Week in Maritime Regs: Cargo Securing CIC Goes Live, Fresh Security Bulletins From Three Waters, and a New Look at Rescue Boat Winches

🕑 5 min read words Regulatory

Maritime Security: Three Waters, One Week

Liberia issued two Marine Security Bulletins this week — 25/2026 on vessel attacks in the Strait of Hormuz, and 24/2026 on vessel attacks in the port of Damietta, Egypt. Neither is standing still: The Guardian reported an understanding reached on coordinates for a shipping route through Hormuz between Iran and Oman, a genuine diplomatic step forward from the tensions covered in last week's dedicated piece. In the other direction, Splash 24/7 reports Houthi attacks proliferating, and the Swedish Club flagged the Houthi movement expanding its maritime targeting to include Saudi Arabia. The Joint War Committee updated its Hull War, Piracy, Terrorism and Related Perils listed areas accordingly (JWLA 034) — if your vessel, charterer or insurer touches any of these waters, that update is worth checking against your current cover, not filed for later. ReCAAP's weekly piracy report and ICS's open letter opposing compulsory tolls or charges in the Strait both underline the same point: this is live, moving risk, not a settled situation.

Cargo Securing CIC: From Warning to Live Campaign

DNV's official CIC questionnaire is now published, and Tokyo MoU and Paris MoU issued a joint press release confirming the 2026 Concentrated Inspection Campaign on cargo securing is now genuinely underway, not just announced. ABS, Britannia and IIMS all published supporting guidance this week too. If you haven't already, last week's full practical walkthrough covers exactly what inspectors will be checking — lashing equipment condition, securing manuals matching actual cargo plans, and crew familiarity with vessel-specific arrangements. This week's news is confirmation the campaign has moved from “be prepared” to “in progress.”

Sanctions and Trade Compliance

UK P&I's Circular 13/26 continues coverage of the 21st package of EU restrictive measures against Russia, the same package that dominated compliance guidance across multiple clubs last week — still current, still worth checking against any Russian-trade exposure in your charter chain. Separately, UK P&I flagged new restrictions in India on the use of satellite phones and satellite communication equipment — a genuinely new compliance point for any vessel calling Indian ports or waters with satcom-dependent systems aboard, worth confirming with your agent before arrival.

Alternative Fuels and Environmental Compliance

Skuld published early lessons from the first year of FuelEU Maritime compliance — worth reading regardless of whether your fleet has alternative-fuel newbuilds yet, since compliance mechanics (pooling, banking, penalty calculation) are shaping up in year one in ways that will matter for every fleet's transition planning. ABS separately released guidance on hybrid and all-electric power systems for marine and offshore applications, and flagged Regulatory News 13/2026 on what the BBNJ Agreement (protecting biodiversity in international waters) means for shipping — an area most crews haven't had reason to think about yet but that's moving from treaty text toward practical relevance.

Class, P&I and Compliance Items Worth Five Minutes

ABS also released guidance on extended drydocking and on ship lifting and transfer systems — both relevant if your yard planning touches either.
Britannia published guidance on Cargo Securing Manual compliance specifically, and flagged an English High Court ruling clarifying a carrier's options when faced with conflicting cargo delivery claims — a useful read for anyone handling bills of lading disputes.
NorthStandard flagged disruption to Dutch waterways, plus updated War Risks Class additional premium areas — check both against any current North Sea/Rhine-delta routing.
The Swedish Club issued a War Risk Insurance notice of cancellation effective 31 July 2026 — confirm your cover status if this affects your trading pattern.
Shipowners' Club published guidance on Modern Slavery and Human Trafficking at Sea — a compliance area that touches crewing agencies and manning practices as much as it does the ship itself.
BIMCO launched surveys supporting practical biofouling management, published guidance on the revised PRC Maritime Code's contractual risk implications, and weighed in on AI-generated contracts and clauses — a reminder that the human element in contract review still matters even as drafting tools get faster.
IIMS reported that Australia has launched guidance to help prevent pest contamination in containers, and separately confirmed the IMO has concluded its first mandatory audit cycle, covering all 168 Member States — a genuine milestone for the IMO Member State Audit Scheme.
UK Chamber of Shipping published an industry-first safety evidence base for alternative marine fuels, alongside its regular Safety Matters bulletin for August.
In the news: MSC is suing a customer over container fire safety — worth watching as a signal of how seriously the line is treating fire-safety compliance in its cargo chain — and the Panama Canal has reduced permitted draught for neo-Panamax locks, relevant to anyone with transits currently booked or planned.

IMO: What's Moving Through the System

Ahead of the Sub-Committee on Carriage of Cargoes and Containers (CCC 12) meeting in September, a run of circulars this week cover amendments to the IGF Code and alternative-fuel guidelines, IMDG Code and IMSBC Code updates, and — directly relevant to this week's cargo-securing theme — a proposed revision to the Cargo Securing Manual guidelines (MSC.1/Circ.1353/Rev.2) to formally permit lashing software as a supplement to the CSM. Separately, the London Convention/Protocol's 48th session papers include a look at marine geoengineering including ocean fertilization, and MEPC 85/7/2 continues the standing work on reducing GHG emissions from ships. None of this changes anything for a working crew this week, but it's the pipeline for what will.

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