Secretary-General of the International Maritime Organization (IMO) Arsenio Dominguez on Monday urged the international community to uphold existing rules and ensure that international shipping lanes remain unimpeded amid rising tensions in strategic waterways.
Dominguez emphasized at a press session that safeguarding the security and unimpeded flow of international maritime routes is a critical prerequisite for maintaining global trade stability and orderly maritime transport.
He reiterated that no country has the right to obstruct international shipping lanes.
"The freedom of navigation is not negotiable for IMO and no country has the right to obstruct the traffic on a strait for international navigation," said Dominguez.
Dominguez also noted that de-escalation is the key to safely evacuating around 20,000 seafarers stranded in the Persian Gulf and around the Strait of Hormuz.
He said the IMO is continuing efforts to facilitate the evacuation of stranded seafarers. However, he emphasized that no evacuation framework can be implemented until safety is ensured.
According to the IMO, since late February, when military actions escalated in the region, the organization has verified multiple attacks on vessels in the Gulf and near the Strait of Hormuz, resulting in casualties among seafarers and damage to ships.
IMO chief reaffirms freedom of navigation, calls for de-escalation in Strait of Hormuz
