The UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR), the International Maritime Organization (IMO), and the International Chamber of Shipping (ICS) have presented an updated version of the “Rescue at Sea” guidelines for the rescue of refugees and migrants in distress at sea.
The document was launched at the IMO headquarters in London and is intended as a practical guide for shipmasters, crew members, and national authorities.
The updated guidelines set out detailed procedures for the prompt rescue of people in distress at sea, their safe disembarkation, and compliance with relevant international legal obligations.
According to UNHCR, 1,953 people died or went missing in the Mediterranean Sea in 2025. In the South and Southeast Asia route, dangerous maritime crossings involving Rohingya refugees have also resulted in hundreds of deaths and disappearances.
The organizations emphasized that seas should be treated as humanitarian spaces and that rescue obligations must be fulfilled without discrimination.
