Refugees and Migrants at Sea (UNHCR-IMO)

Joint guidance from IMO, UNHCR, and partner bodies on the rescue, treatment, and disembarkation of refugees and migrants found in distress at sea. It builds on the SOLAS and SAR Convention duty to render assistance and the 2004 amendments (Resolution MSC.167(78)) requiring delivery to a place of safety, layered with the 1951 Refugee Convention’s non-refoulement principle. The guidance separates the shipmaster’s rescue duty from states’ obligations on a place of safety and status determination.