Military escort will not guarantee safe passage through the Strait of Hormuz - IMO head
Kyiv • UNN
The head of the IMO stated that it is impossible to fully protect tankers from Iranian attacks. Due to the closure of the strait, the price of Brent oil exceeded 100 dollars per barrel.
The head of the International Maritime Organization (IMO), Arsenio Dominguez, stated that naval escort through the Strait of Hormuz does not guarantee "100 percent" safety for vessels attempting to pass through this crucial waterway, writes UNN with reference to the Financial Times.
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IMO Secretary-General Arsenio Dominguez told the Financial Times that military assistance "is not a long-term or sustainable solution" for opening the strait.
"It reduces the risk, but the risk still exists. Merchant vessels and sailors can be affected," the official said.
The start of the US and Israel's war with Iran effectively closed the narrow strait, through which about a fifth of the world's oil trade normally passes. Iran has struck at least 18 vessels in the Persian Gulf region since the start of hostilities, and its new supreme leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, has declared the strait "closed" to shipping.
Due to reduced global oil supplies, the price of Brent crude exceeded $100 per barrel, causing fears of global economic turmoil.
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Despite US President Donald Trump's promise to provide naval escort for commercial vessels to restore oil supplies, no protection has been provided.
In an interview with the Financial Times on Monday, Trump threatened NATO with a "very bad future" if European allies did not join US efforts.
He also stated that he would postpone a promised summit with China if Beijing did not help, arguing that Europe and China are significantly more dependent on oil from the Persian Gulf than the US.
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Dominguez said that part of the problem lies in the strait's geographical location. At its narrowest point, the strait is 33 km wide, but the total width of deep-water shipping lanes for movement in each direction is only two nautical miles (about 4 km).
On the Iranian side, the Strait of Hormuz is bordered by mountains that favor aggressors capable of striking vessels from above, with virtually no possibility of preventing it, the publication writes.
"We become collateral victims of a conflict when its root causes have nothing to do with shipping," Dominguez said.
The head of the IMO stated that the UN agency, which sets the rules for international shipping, is also seriously concerned that vessels stranded in the Persian Gulf are experiencing shortages of food and supplies for their crews.
The IMO has asked shipping companies to collect information on onboard supplies to direct aid to the vessels most in need.
"The situation is concerning, especially since vessels cannot effectively operate freely in the Strait of Hormuz or the Persian Gulf area. Access to ports is also limited, as port facilities are under attack. At some point, food, water, and fuel supplies will begin to deplete, preventing vessels from continuing operations," he indicated.
On Wednesday and Thursday, the IMO will hold an extraordinary council meeting to discuss operational risks for shipowners in the Persian Gulf and call for de-escalation of the conflict.
According to the British organization Maritime Trade Operations, only 47 cargo ships and tankers passed through the strait between March 2 and 14. "Several of them belong to billionaire shipowner George Prokopiou, two of which are used to deliver oil to India," the publication notes.
Dominguez urged ship managers "not to go to sea, not to put sailors at risk, and not to put the ships themselves at risk... We need to de-escalate the situation before shipowners or ship operators could actually take the risk."
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