"Freedom of navigation is not negotiable": IMO addresses UN Security Council on Hormuz situation

IMO Secretary-General Mr. Arsenio Dominguez has called on States to uphold the principle of freedom of navigation and reject any imposition of tolls, fees or discriminatory transit measures for passage through straits used for international navigation.

Addressing the UN Security Council on the topic of 'The safety and protection of waterways in the maritime domain, he emphasised: "The principle of freedom of navigation is not negotiable. Ships must be allowed to trade worldwide unhindered and in accordance with international law.”

Any deviation from these well-established and recognized principles would set a negative precedent and severely undermine the integrity and stability of shipping operations worldwide, he added.

He urged States to support the IMO’s plan to facilitate the evacuation of affected seafarers and, at the appropriate time, to assist with the clearance of any hazards to the commercial ships navigating in the Strait of Hormuz, including mines.

“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,” the IMO Secretary-General said. |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.”