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No country can “prohibit the freedom of navigation” on international waterways, the chief of the International Maritime Organisation (IMO), Arsenio Dominguez, told Euronews amid an ongoing standoff between Washington and Tehran over the passage of vessels through the Strait of Hormuz.
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Asked about the US Navy’s blockade of Iranian ports, which began this week, Dominguez told Euronews there is “no international law agreement that allows any country to prohibit the freedom of navigation on straits used for international navigation,” calling for rapid de-escalation in the conflict gripping the Middle East to reinstate shipping transit.
The US is relying on its fleet of naval vessels to control access to Iranian ports to restrict Tehran’s ability to profit from oil exports in an attempt to economically pressure the country to reopen the Strait of Hormuz to maritime traffic.
Despite the two-week ceasefire currently in place, the Strait of Hormuz — a critical trading waterway — has remained effectively closed, sending major ripple effects across the global economy.
Shipping data suggests fewer than 300 ships have passed through the Strait since the war broke out in late February. Previously, an average of 138 passed each day, transporting around a fifth of global crude oil and liquified natural gas (LNG).
Dominguez explained that Tehran has introduced a different corridor to the one recognised by the IMO in the Strait, and that he has no information about the safety of either corridor.
He said his institution stands ready to implement an evacuation framework to free stranded ships and seafarers, and to restore transit, once the conflict ends definitively.
“We have, since 1968, a traffic separation scheme that is coordinated between Oman and Iran, and this is established in accordance with international law. It’s ready to resume operations,” Dominguez said on Euronews’ interview programme 12 Minutes With.
“We are working with both countries, but we need security in the region for the ships and, in particular, the crew not to be at risk when they resume operations,” he said, adding that these technical plans had been shared with both Washington and Iran.
On Friday, France and the UK will co-host a summit to discuss potential steps to reopen the Strait once the conflict has subsided, with Prime Minister Keir Starmer suggesting that as many as 40 nations are part of the coalition.
“This is multilateralism in the way that we need it,” Dominguez said in response to the initiative. “I’m very grateful to the leadership of the countries of France and the United Kingdom, and I am engaging with them. We are providing the expertise from all the work that the organisation has put in place.”
‘Shipping should not be used as collateral’
The IMO chief also rejected the way that shipping has been used as “collateral” in the conflict, saying “every single country” should respect the principles of free navigation to “serve the global population.”
“Shipping continues to be used as leverage for this political conflict, but it is important for everyone on the planet to recognise that the moment that shipping gets affected, that’s going to have a negative impact on everybody else, on the way that we live our daily lives,” he explained.
There is increasing concern about the long-lasting effects of the war on the global economy, given the strategic importance of the Strait of Hormuz for global trade, and particularly the passage of oil and gas.
Shipping is “resilient,” Dominguez said, but said there is no alternative for transporting the critical fuel and gas, fertilisers, chemicals and automotive parts that emanate from the region.
“That is an impact that we will not be able to address because you need shipping to actually carry those cargoes in bulk,” he explained. “And this is why the sooner that this conflict comes to an end, the quicker that step-by-step shipping will resume normal operations and the economy will start easing off all this negative pressure.”
You can watch the full interview on 12 Minutes With on Thursday, 16 April, at 20.30 CET.
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