UN Sec-Gen calls for freedom of navigation and end to attacks against shipping

August 26 ------ United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres has called for greater protection of commercial shipping and civilian maritime infrastructure as conflicts in the Black Sea, Strait of Hormuz and Red Sea continue to disrupt key arteries of global trade and the movement of essential commodities.

Disruptions threaten energy and food supplies

Guterres said attacks and disruptions to maritime traffic are constraining the movement of energy, fertilizers, grain and other agricultural products, threatening supply chains and contributing to higher prices, deeper hunger and greater hardship, particularly for the world’s most vulnerable populations.

He said navigational rights and freedoms are vital to international peace, security and the flow of essential goods, stressing that their unimpeded exercise is both a legal obligation and a humanitarian imperative. He summed his appeal in a social media post as:

• full respect for international law (including law of the sea & international humanitarian law)

• protection for civilian shipping, infrastructure and civilian seafarers

• upholding of navigational rights and freedoms

• an immediate end to attacks against commercial shipping & civilian infrastructure in the Black Sea

• full restoration & respect of navigational rights and freedoms in the Strait of Hormuz

• an end to attacks against shipping in the Red Sea & around Bab al-Mandab.

Call for protection of civilian shipping

Guterres urged all parties to fully respect international law, including the law of the sea and international humanitarian law, while protecting civilian shipping, infrastructure and civilian seafarers. He also called for the upholding of navigational rights and freedoms and an immediate end to attacks against commercial shipping and civilian infrastructure.

Black Sea shipping remains under threat

In the Black Sea, Guterres called for an immediate end to attacks against commercial shipping and civilian infrastructure. He said the conflict following Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine is threatening maritime routes vital for exports of oil, grain and other agricultural products.

Disruptions to these routes have broader consequences for global food security, with reduced access to agricultural commodities contributing to higher prices and increased hardship for vulnerable populations.

Calls for restored navigation in Hormuz and Red Sea

Guterres called for the full restoration and respect of navigational rights and freedoms in the Strait of Hormuz, where attacks and disruption to maritime traffic are constraining the movement of energy, fertilizers and other essential commodities.

He also urged an end to attacks against shipping in the Red Sea and around the Bab al-Mandab Strait, highlighting the importance of keeping major international trade routes open and safe. Guterres said protecting freedom of navigation is essential to maintaining peace, security and shared prosperity as conflicts increasingly affect the global maritime trading system.

Source: safety4sea.com