IMO Surveys Maritime Single Window Implementation
The International Maritime Organization is asking stakeholders to share experiences with systems that let ships report port-call information once, digitally.
Updated on Nov. 6, 2026 in Transportation
The International Maritime Organization has launched a survey on how Maritime Single Window systems are implemented and used. The survey is open to stakeholders with experience in implementing, operating, or using these systems, and is to be completed by the end of 2026.
Why it matters
Maritime Single Windows are designed to reduce a ship's reporting burden by allowing port-call information to be exchanged once, digitally, under harmonised data standards. The survey aims to determine whether these systems are delivering the benefits they were introduced to achieve.
The survey's only stated quantitative milestones are a 30 November 2026 response deadline for BIMCO members and a follow-up survey envisaged for 2028. No adoption rates or performance metrics have been published yet.
The players
International Maritime Organization (IMO)
The United Nations specialised agency responsible for regulating international shipping safety, security, and environmental performance, based in London.
The details
The IMO Secretariat will analyse responses by country and stakeholder group, identifying common trends, challenges, and good practices. The survey collects views from both public authorities and private-sector users, with certain questions, including respondent country and organisation type, required.
Timeline
End of 2026: IMO survey on Maritime Single Window implementation is due to conclude.
30 November 2026: Deadline for BIMCO members to submit survey responses.
2028: A follow-up survey is envisaged to assess developments since 2026.
Roadmap
The survey follows the IMO's broader push to digitise port formalities under the FAL Convention, which seeks to replace repeated paper reporting with single electronic submissions. It tests whether that policy direction is producing the efficiency gains it was adopted to deliver.
Shipping operators and port authorities that use Maritime Single Window systems may see the survey's findings shape future reporting requirements. Participation is open to stakeholders with direct experience of these systems, and BIMCO members are being asked to respond by 30 November 2026.
The takeaway
Digital single-window reporting only delivers value if its results are measured against real outcomes. The IMO's survey is a step toward testing whether ports and ships are seeing the time and cost savings that these systems promise.
What happens next
BIMCO members should submit survey responses by 30 November 2026, and the IMO survey is due to conclude by the end of 2026, with a follow-up survey envisaged for 2028.
Further reading
For broader context on how shipping logistics are changing, see the Transportation section.
