Countries backing navigation in Strait of Hormuz sending ‘right message’: IMO chief
Speaking to Singapore media on Monday, IMO secretary-general Arsenio Dominguez also warned against the increasing use of shipping as leverage in geopolitical conflicts.
Dominguez said the IMO was preparing evacuation plans for about 20,000 sailors stranded on more than 1,600 ships still stranded in the Persian Gulf.
The organization has also struck deals with a group of countries to ensure the Strait of Hormuz is cleared of mines and other hazards when shipping resumes, The Straits Times reported on Tuesday, citing the IMO chief.
Hopes that a two-week ceasefire between Washington and Tehran would ease pressure on the shipping industry were dashed when a brief and confusing reopening over the April 18 weekend ended with the United States maintaining its blockade of Iranian ports and seizing an Iranian cargo ship.
Due to uncertainty about whether the US-Iran ceasefire, which will end on April 22, will continue, commercial traffic via Hormuz came to a virtual halt on April 20. Plans for the second round of negotiations in Pakistan also remain unclear.
After arriving in Singapore to attend the Singapore Maritime Week held from April 20 to 24, Dominguez said that given the current situation, disruptions in the supply of fertilizers and natural gas could extend into 2027, and this would only be possible if hostilities end and efforts to restore global trade flows begin. “The reality is that we need the global community to rally behind conflict reduction to allow us to do business as usual.” He said and noted that IMO is in contact with Iran and its neighbors. Countries such as Oman will discuss how safe trade can continue through the Strait of Hormuz after the conflict ends.
“It’s not over yet, but the sooner it’s over, the sooner we can all start tackling the next challenges,” Dominguez said in the newspaper.
“The longer this situation continues, the more negative impacts we will see on the global economy.”
Still, he said he was hopeful the situation would improve. “I still see it as positive that the parties involved in the conflict are talking to each other,” he said.
Dominguez also opposed the idea of tolls or payment mechanisms on waterways used for international navigation.
“I want to emphasize the Singapore Government’s position, which has made it very clear that it will not negotiate on these terms,” he said.
The IMO chief did not specify which countries had made the commitment and only pointed to the summit of 51 countries led by France and the UK, which met on April 17 to discuss the Gulf crisis.
So far, 22 countries have publicly signed up to a multinational “defense” mission to keep the waterway open in the event of peace.
However, he emphasized that such plans can only be carried out when it is safe to do so.
“We cannot put sailors at risk,” he said, noting that ships passing through the strait during the short weekend window reported near misses from military drones and missile launches.
Asked whether shipowners would need additional security arrangements, such as armed escorts or patrols, when the waterway reopens, Dominguez said these may be necessary initially to provide a sense of security and ensure insurance remains affordable and to limit the impact on freight costs.
However, he emphasized that this would not be sustainable in the long term.
“We must remember that we are not military assets and marines are not trained for war.”
IMO is open to other solutions, such as establishing additional shipping corridors in the Strait of Hormuz; but this must comply with international law and IMO rules.
“We need cooperation between Iran and Oman, not unilateral decisions,” he said. Oman is also on the border of the strait and controls some shipping lines.
When asked about the precedent the crisis could set for other maritime chokepoints such as the Straits of Malacca and the Singapore Strait, Dominguez pointed to the cooperation mechanism between Singapore, Malaysia and Indonesia as a model.
Established in 2007, the mechanism allows the three countries and the wider maritime community to dialogue on navigational safety and environmental protection in the two straits.
“This improves shipping operations and we can replicate this in other areas,” he said.
Addressing the impact of the closure of Hormuz, Dominguez said the crisis underscores the importance of keeping shipping free and safe.
“If we start transferring cargo from the Gulf region to other means of transportation, they will only be able to carry 5 to 10 percent of daily shipping,” he said.
The IMO chief was quoted as saying, “We can find new ways of working, we can find new routes. But we will not be able to meet the demands of the global economy.”
