The International Maritime Organization (IMO) has warned that plans attributed to Iran to impose a toll on ships transiting through the Strait of Hormuz would undermine the established principles of international maritime law and set a dangerous precedent for global shipping.
The Secretary-General of the IMO, Arsenio Domínguez, has stated in a statement that there is no international agreement allowing the introduction of tolls for transit through international straits. Domínguez emphasized that any fee of this type would constitute a dangerous precedent for global navigation.
The warning comes in a context where various news sources, although without official confirmation, have indicated that since February 28, transits through the strait carried out in coordination with Iranian authorities would have entailed toll payments of up to two million dollars per vessel. Iran is also reportedly processing a legislative project to formalize the collection of transit fees through the strait.
The IMO has reminded that, according to the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), ships enjoy the right of passage in transit through international straits and that coastal states cannot obstruct or suspend that right. However, Iran has never ratified UNCLOS.
The organization has reiterated that freedom of navigation is a fundamental principle of international maritime law and has urged all parties to avoid actions that could further destabilize navigation conditions in the region. The IMO has also reminded that the traffic separation scheme of the Strait of Hormuz was proposed by Iran and Oman and adopted by the organization in 1968, and it has served the region for decades to ensure navigation safety.
The immediate priority of the IMO is the safe evacuation of all vessels and crew trapped in the Persian Gulf since the conflict began on February 28. Estimates indicate that around 1,000 ships and 20,000 sailors remain in the Gulf unable to leave. The organization has indicated that it has developed a plan to resume the safe transit of vessels using the existing traffic separation scheme mechanism.
The situation in the Strait of Hormuz has deteriorated again following Israeli attacks on Lebanon on April 8. Iran considered that the two-week ceasefire negotiated with the United States the day before had been violated, and various reports indicate that the strait was once again closed to international maritime traffic following those bombings.