Eight leading international shipping organizations have called on the United Nations and the International Maritime Organization to reject any mandatory tolls or service fees for vessels transiting the Strait of Hormuz.
NEW YORK / LONDON — WEB DESK: Eight of the world’s leading international shipping organizations have urged the United Nations (UN) to oppose any proposal to impose mandatory tolls or service fees on commercial vessels transiting the Strait of Hormuz, warning that such measures could undermine global maritime trade.
According to international media reports, the organizations submitted a joint open letter to UN Secretary-General António Guterres and International Maritime Organization (IMO) Secretary-General Arsenio Dominguez, expressing concern over proposals that would require commercial ships to pay mandatory transit charges.
The letter argues that imposing tolls—or mandatory service fees with a similar financial effect—on one of the world’s most critical international waterways would conflict with established principles of international maritime law and decades of global shipping practice.
The organizations warned that allowing such charges in the Strait of Hormuz could set a precedent for similar measures in other strategic international waterways, potentially affecting the long-standing principle of freedom of navigation.
They also cautioned that mandatory transit fees could increase shipping costs, disrupt global supply chains and negatively affect international trade, energy transportation and the global economy.
The Strait of Hormuz is one of the world’s busiest maritime chokepoints, serving as a key route for the transportation of crude oil, liquefied natural gas and a wide range of commercial goods to international markets.
In their appeal, the shipping organizations called on the United Nations and the IMO to safeguard freedom of navigation under international law and discourage any measures that could create a dangerous precedent for the global maritime system.
The appeal comes amid ongoing diplomatic discussions and heightened international attention surrounding maritime security and shipping arrangements in the Strait of Hormuz.
