IMO Secretary-General visits Ukraine for the first time

Minister for Development of Communities and Territories of Ukraine Oleksiy Kuleba held a meeting with IMO Secretary General Arsenio Dominguez.

This was reported by the Ministry for Development of Communities and Territories of Ukraine.

The parties agreed to strengthen cooperation to support the security of Ukrainian seaports and the waters of the Black and Azov Seas.

“It is important for us to continue working together. The protection of ports is not only a matter of our economic stability, but also of the world’s food security. Since the launch of the Ukrainian sea corridor, 109 million tons of cargo have been transshipped, of which 70 million are grain,” the minister noted.

Oleksiy Kuleba also added that it is important to simultaneously exert pressure on Russia’s shadow tanker fleet.

In particular, during the meeting, the main losses of the maritime industry since the beginning of the full-scale invasion were discussed. These include 385 destroyed port infrastructure facilities, 31 damaged civilian vessels, and 98 injured civilian port workers.

First Deputy Minister Alyona Shkrum emphasized the importance of a strong position on the part of the IMO in order to more effectively protect Ukraine’s port infrastructure in the future.

IMO Secretary-General Arsenio Dominguez assured the Ministry of Development and Trade that the IMO is ready for active cooperation and will consistently assist Ukraine in the future.

“The parties agreed to continue to maintain contact, in particular, Oleksiy Kuleba invited the IMO Secretary-General to the Ukraine Recovery Conference 2025, which is to be held this July in Rome. We recall that in July 2024, the Decree of the President of Ukraine approved the Maritime Security Strategy of Ukraine. One of the main tasks of the Strategy is Ukraine’s compliance with international obligations under the IMO conventions,” the ministry said.

Ukraine’s strategic plans also provide for accession to a number of other international conventions related to shipping and maritime safety.

The parties agreed to maintain cooperation within the framework of the Plan for the Restoration of Maritime Transport in Ukraine, which the Ministry of Development and Trade of Ukraine developed jointly with the Estonian Ministry of Climate in early 2024.

As a reminder, IMO Secretary General Arsenio Dominguez condemned the Russian attack on the port of Odesa, during which sailors died.