IMO Releases Revised Rescue Guide Maritime Activity Reports, Inc. May 20, 2026 Source: IMO UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, the IMO, and the International Chamber of Shipping (ICS) have released a revised Rescue Guide , a tool to help all partners uphold the humanitarian and legal duties to rescue refugees and migrants in distress at sea and bring them to safety. The revised edition of Rescue at Sea: A guide to principles and practice in the context of refugee and migrant movements comes as tragic shipwrecks continue to highlight the urgent need for stronger collective action to prevent further loss of life among people fleeing danger or seeking better prospects.   In the year marking the 75th anniversary of the 1951 Refugee Convention, the revised Guide underlines the continued relevance and life-saving impact of practical protection action, covering rescuing people in distress at sea, including refugees and migrants, and ensuring safe disembarkation in line with international law. The seas must be treated as a humanitarian space, and the duty to rescue people in distress at sea must be upheld without discrimination, the partners agreed.   "There is an ongoing human tragedy of lives lost at sea during unsafe, dangerous journeys. We must recognize the tireless efforts of coast guards, navies, search and rescue agencies, and merchant vessels in rescuing individuals in distress at sea – preventing an even higher death toll. Established legal obligations must be translated into concrete action at sea. This revised Guide ensures clarity for Governments and provides practical steps for shipmasters and crews," said Arsenio Dominguez, Secretary-General, IMO. "Nobody risks their life at sea, or that of their family, unless desperate to find safety and stability in the absence of safer pathways. Yet, these appalling wrecks cannot be accepted as inevitable. They are preventable," said Elizabeth Tan, Director of UNHCR's Division of International Protection and Solutions