IMO secretary-general Arsenio Dominguez has urged the United Nations to increase the pressure to reopen the strait of Hormuz and to look to the repatriation of around 20,000 seafarers who have been left stranded since th4e war in the Middle East began.

Speaking to the United Nations Security Council he said free navigation of the strait, which has been effectively shut by Iran, was non-negotiable .

“Since the 1980’s, the IMO has been addressing maritime security in the shipping and port sector and has in place the relevant mandatory standards to enhance global maritime security,” Dominguez said. “Our regulatory process is constantly evolving to adapt to any new threats and make use of our experience and expertise.

“The geopolitical conflict around the Strait of Hormuz is having a very negative effect on seafarers and shipping, and on the global population and economy. Approximately, 20,000 innocent seafarers and nearly 2,000 vessels remained trapped in the Persian Gulf. Any disruption to shipping represents a global interference to energy and food security.

“The principle of freedom of navigation is not negotiable. Ships must be allowed to trade worldwide unhindered and in accordance with international law.”

He said the IMO was demanding, in accordance with the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea and customary international law:

• Straits used for international navigation cannot be closed by bordering States.
• Equally, there is no legal basis for any country to introduce payments or impose tolls, fees or any discriminatory conditions on international straits.

“Any deviation from these well-established and recognised principles would set a negative precedent and severely undermine the integrity and stability of shipping operations worldwide,” Dominguez continued. “Since 1968, the International Maritime Organization has established a traffic separation scheme or maritime corridor, in the Strait of Hormuz.

“This maritime corridor, jointly operated between Oman and Iran, has ensured safe navigation for decades. This is a mandatory mechanism in accordance with the IMO’s International Convention on the Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS).

“Both countries are signatories to this Convention, which has governed the safety of ships at sea since 1974. Our main concern remains the safety and the well-being of the innocent seafarers trapped in the Gulf, due to the conflict.”

He added: “Following the IMO Council decision, I have begun the development of an evacuation framework, using the existing traffic separation scheme, to securely evacuate ships and seafarers from the conflict zone provided it is safe to do so. The technical and operational developments are being carried out with the involvement of the regional countries, including Iran, and with the support from relevant countries assisting in the negotiations.

“As an Organization, we are ready to implement this framework without delay, but only once it is safe to do so.

“In this respect, I call upon States to uphold the principle of freedom of navigation; and reject an imposition of tolls, fees or discriminatory transit measures for the passage through a strait used for international navigation.”

He said on behalf of the IMO he was requesting that States:

• Support the IMO’s plan to facilitate the evacuation of affected seafarers.
• At the appropriate time, to assist with the clearance of any hazards to the commercial ships navigating in the Strait of Hormuz, including mines.
• Provide any technical and operational civilian assistance to operationalize the evacuation framework; and
• Ensure practical assurances to the shipping sector, including access to insurance at reasonable costs, to enable the resumption of normal operations as soon as practicably possible.

“I would like to reiterate my appreciation for the support provided by the countries in the region in delivering essential supplies to seafarers in the Persian Gulf, safeguarding their well-being, and request them to facilitate crew changes when safe and possible,” Dominguez concluded. “Shipping and seafarers should never be used as leverage in geopolitical conflicts.”