New York: Europe and the Arabs

The Secretary-General of the International Maritime Organization (IMO), Arsenio Dominguez, said that the blockade of ships in the Strait of Hormuz has demonstrated how ships and seafarers have become "bargaining chips in geopolitical conflicts."

Since the outbreak of conflict following the US-Israeli bombing of Iran and subsequent Iranian attacks in late February, some 20,000 seafarers aboard nearly 2,000 vessels have been stranded in the Gulf, unable to safely transit this narrow waterway. This information comes from the UN News Daily, a copy of which we received this morning via email.

To learn more about maritime security and its importance, the UN News team conducted the following interview with Mr. Dominguez.

UN News: What is maritime security?

Arsenio Dominguez: Maritime security encompasses the protection of ships, ports, seafarers, and maritime infrastructure from all types of security threats, such as piracy, terrorism, and cyberattacks. For coastal states, it also encompasses a wide range of illicit activities related to the seas, ships, ports, or coastlines, including arms and drug trafficking, illegal wildlife trade, crude oil theft, human trafficking and smuggling, as well as the illegal dumping of toxic waste.

UN News: Why is maritime security so important?

Arsenio Dominguez: Maritime security is essential because it protects global trade, ensures the safety of seafarers, and keeps supply chains running. Without maritime security, maritime development falters, and without maritime development, achieving sustainable development becomes impossible.

UN News: What has the current crisis in the Strait of Hormuz revealed about the threats to shipping and seafarers in conflict situations?

Arsenio Dominguez: The crisis has shown that ships and their crews are at grave risk in conflict zones, often becoming bargaining chips in geopolitical disputes. Commercial shipping has been targeted, detained, or attacked without justification, highlighting the fragility of the principle of freedom of navigation.

UN News: What mechanisms can realistically protect seafarers caught in the middle of geopolitical conflicts?

Arsenio Dominguez: Information sharing is crucial. The spread of misinformation and disinformation can make voyage planning extremely difficult and complicated. Ship operators and companies must ensure that risk assessments are conducted before any voyage passes through a conflict zone.

Diplomacy and de-escalation are essential, while the need for maritime escorts remains limited. Maritime escorts are by no means a sustainable solution.

UN News: How have the threats to maritime security evolved over the past few years?

Arsenio Dominguez: Looking back at the history of maritime security, the hijacking of the Italian cruise ship Achille Lauro in October 1985 stands out as a significant act of terrorism.

The events of September 11, 2001, in the United States raised questions about the vulnerability of ships, particularly the potential for the maritime shipping sector to be used as a tool for terrorist activities.

Piracy and armed robbery against ships first came to the attention of the International Maritime Organization (IMO) in the late 1980s, coinciding with a surge in reported incidents in the Asian region.

With the escalation of piracy originating from Somalia in the early 2000s, the focus shifted to piracy and armed robbery on the high seas, specifically in the Gulf of Aden and the wider western Indian Ocean, as well as the Gulf of Guinea off the coast of West Africa.

The need for cooperation, capacity building, and information sharing became more urgent and critical than ever.

UN News: What new challenges are emerging, and how vulnerable is the maritime shipping sector? Arsenio Dominguez: There are a number of new challenges, including cyberattacks targeting navigation systems, shipping systems, and port operations, as well as sabotage targeting undersea cables, pipelines, and port infrastructure, and drone attacks targeting ships and vulnerabilities related to autonomous vessels.

The increasing sophistication of tactics employed by criminals operating within supply chains continues to pose unique challenges to the global maritime trade environment.

UN News: How difficult and challenging has it become to protect ships and seafarers?

Arsenio Dominguez: Recently, international shipping and seafarers have become caught up in geopolitical conflicts for which they bear no responsibility. This has affected ships flying different flags and seafarers of many different nationalities.

Ships have been attacked using unmanned aerial and surface projectiles. These are civilian commercial vessels that lack the capabilities to defend themselves against such attacks. Civilian seafarers are not combatants and should never be the target of attacks.

UN News: What other global waterways might be at risk during times of conflict?

Arsenio Dominguez: The major global waterways for international shipping include:
The Suez Canal
The Bab el-Mandeb Strait
The Strait of Hormuz
The Straits of Malacca and Singapore
The Bosphorus Strait, the Çanakkale Strait, and the Sea of ​​Marmara
The Panama Canal
Any disruption in these areas would have serious consequences for global trade and for the food security of people around the world.

UN News: What role does the United Nations play?

Arsenio Dominguez: The International Maritime Organization (IMO) works with international partners to support States in building their capacity to prepare for, address, and respond to security threats. This work focuses on the effective implementation of IMO instruments related to security, the efficient exchange of information, regional cooperation and coordination, and legal and legislative reforms (such as enacting national legislation to prosecute criminal acts).

More broadly, the IMO works to promote freedom of navigation through international law (the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea), facilitate diplomatic responses to maritime crises, defend the safety of seafarers and provide them with humanitarian protection, and support maritime capacity building for the States most in need.