ICS calls on UN to protect freedom of navigation through international waterways

New York, United States. International Chamber of Shipping secretary general Thomas Kazakos told a UN Security Council meeting that commercial ships and seafarers must not become collateral in geopolitical disputes and called for free passage through international waterways.

UN briefing

Kazakos was invited to brief an Arria-Formula meeting convened by Bahrain and chaired by the country’s Foreign Minister Abdullatif Al Zayani. Discussions focused on the deteriorating maritime security environment, particularly in the Persian Gulf.

Representing the international shipping industry, Kazakos said established rules governing international waterways should not change according to political circumstances.

“The ability of commercial ships to navigate international waterways safely, predictably and without unnecessary impediment, is crucial to international maritime law and to the global trade system. Shipping must not be held to ransom,” he said.

Strait of Hormuz concerns

Kazakos said the Strait of Hormuz remained one of the industry’s most pressing security concerns because of the risks to crews and its role in international energy and commodity flows.

“The current situation in the Strait of Hormuz and surrounding region demonstrates the importance of this issue,” he said, describing the waterway as “one of the world’s most critical arteries of international commerce, carrying approximately one quarter of global seaborne oil trade, as well as major volumes of LNG and fertilisers”.

“The ongoing disruption has been extraordinary,” he added.

Campaign against restrictions

The UN appearance marked a further step in the ICS campaign for unrestricted passage through the strait. Kazakos has urged governments and international organisations to oppose compulsory tolls, charges and other controls on commercial vessels.

Last week, he raised the matter with Kuwait’s ambassador to the United Kingdom as part of the campaign against tolls in Hormuz. The ICS has also held talks with governments across the Gulf and has argued that there is no legal basis for charging ships solely for exercising their right of transit through an international strait.

Kazakos told the UN meeting that “straits cannot become a place where commercial shipping is required to obtain permission, negotiate passage, or accept arbitrary restrictions, simply because geopolitical tensions have escalated”.