Weaponisation of shipping reaches new extremes
Iran’s chokehold on the Strait of Hormuz during the Middle East conflict once again demonstrated shipping’s ability to inflict turmoil on the world economy due to supply chain disruption. Other recent examples included the pandemic, obstruction of the Suez Canal by the Ever Given grounding, drought restrictions on Panama Canal transits, and Houthi attacks on merchant vessels in the Red Sea area.
Latest events in the Gulf represent a blatant ‘weaponisation’ of shipping, but some might argue that they are merely the latest development of a creeping trend that has included increasing sanctions on so-called dark or shadow fleet vessels trading with the likes of Russia, Iran and Venezuela, leading to the spate of military seizures of ships at sea that began last December.
Meanwhile, unexplained explosions on vessels linked with the carriage of Russian oil have continued, around the Black Sea and further out into the Med, and naval escorts for commercial vessels have begun to become reality.
In short, commercial shipping seems to have become a weapon of choice in the modern climate of asymmetric warfare.
Shipowners and operators have usually found a way to extract huge profits from the extra tonne/miles and other ‘inefficiencies’ such disruptions have caused. But it is seafarers who have borne the brunt of hardships involved, suffering pronged absences from their homes and families, mental stress and in some cases serious injury or death while merely carrying out their jobs.
Maritime leaders and international bodies have been quick to defend the principle of ‘freedom of navigation’ and the right to safety of seafarers carrying out work that is vital to the smooth running of the world economy. “No attack on innocent seafarers or civilian shipping is ever justified,” reiterates IMO Secretary-General Arsenio Dominguez - a message that he and other industry voices will continue to stress.
As SMI marks its 20th anniversary, this magazine’s continuous focus these past two decades on the benefits of safe global navigation and on the welfare of seafarers, likewise remains unaltered.