IMO condemns attacks on merchant vessels in the Sea of Azov and the Black Sea

IMO Secretary-General Arsenio Dominguez has called for an end to all unwarranted attacks on international shipping arising from geopolitical conflicts, issuing the following statement:

"As the IMO Council considers the continued threats to international shipping and the need to uphold navigational rights and freedoms, I must once again address attacks on commercial vessels. 

I deplore the series of attacks over the past week against civilian merchant ships operating in the Sea of Azov and the Black Sea. 

While recent events have focused international attention on the situation in and around the Strait of Hormuz, we must not lose sight of the fact that seafarers continue to face serious threats in other parts of the world. 

I condemn all unwarranted attacks on civilian merchant vessels arising from geopolitical conflicts, wherever they occur. Such acts endanger seafarers, threaten the safety of navigation, disrupt global supply chains and undermine the principles upon which international shipping depends.  

I call on all parties involved in conflicts to refrain from any action that endangers innocent merchant shipping or the marine environment, to respect international law, and to ensure the protection of seafarers. Seafarers should never become casualties of conflicts to which they are not a party.  

Every seafarer, wherever they serve, deserves to work in safety and security."

Latest reports emerging today suggest five seafarers were killed and 12 injured when a Togo-flagged general cargoship unloading mineral fertilisers in the Port of Odesa was hit by a Russian drone, sparking an onboard fire. Ukraine earlier claimed to have carried out missile strikes on 28 Russian vessels in the Sea of Azov during the night of July 11.