Arsenio Domínguez, Secretary General of the IMO spoke with UN News ahead of a key meeting on maritime security taking place at the Security Council on Monday.
UN News: What is maritime security?
Arsenio Dominguez: Maritime security covers the protection of ships, ports, seafarers and maritime infrastructure against any type of security threat, such as piracy, terrorism and cyber attacks.
A sailor works on a ship at sea.
For coastal States, it also covers a wide range of illicit activities that may involve the sea, ships, ports or coasts, including arms and drug trafficking, illegal wildlife trade, crude oil theft, human trafficking and smuggling, and illegal dumping of toxic waste.
UN News: Why is maritime security so important?
Arsenio Dominguez: Maritime security is essential because protects global trade, ensures the safety of seafarers and keeps supply chains running. Without maritime security, maritime development stagnates, and without maritime development, sustainable development becomes impossible.
UN News: What has the current crisis in the Strait of Hormuz told us about the threat to shipping and seafarers in conflict situations?
Arsenio Dominguez: It shows that ships and their crews are highly exposed in conflict zones, which often becomes leverage in geopolitical disputes.
Commercial shipping has been unjustifiably targeteddetained or attacked, highlighting how fragile freedom of navigation can be.
UN News: What mechanisms can realistically protect seafarers caught in geopolitical conflicts?
Arsenio Dominguez: Sharing information is crucial. Misinformation and misinformation can make risk-based travel planning extremely difficult.
Naval operators and companies must ensure that risk assessments are carried out before any travel through or in a conflict zone.
Global supply chains can be disrupted if ships do not have freedom of navigation.
Diplomacy and conflict reduction are essential, while the arguments in favor of naval escorts are limited. Naval escorts are never a sustainable solution.
UN News: How have threats to maritime security evolved in recent years?
Arsenio Dominguez: If we analyze maritime security historically, the hijacking of the Italian cruise ship Achille Lauro, in October 1985, was a major terrorist act.
The events of September 11 (2001) in the United States of America raised the issue of the vulnerability of ships and, in particular, the possibility of maritime transport being used as a vector of terrorist activity.
Arsenio Domínguez, secretary general of the International Maritime Organization (IMO).
Incidents of piracy and armed robbery against ships were first highlighted by the IMO in the late 1980s, with an increase in reported incidents in Asia.
With the rise of piracy in Somalia in the early 2010s, attention focused on piracy and armed robbery at sea in the Gulf of Aden and throughout the Western Indian Ocean, as well as the Gulf of Guinea in West Africa.
The need for cooperation, capacity building and information sharing is more important than ever.
UN News: What are the new emerging challenges and how vulnerable is the shipping industry?
Arsenio Dominguez: There are a number of new challenges, including cyber attacks on navigation, cargo systems and port operations, the sabotage of submarine cables, pipelines and port infrastructure, drone attacks on ships and vulnerabilities related to autonomous ships.
The increasing sophistication of criminals operating in the supply chain continues to present unique challenges to the global maritime trade environment.
UN News: How difficult is it to protect ships and seafarers?
Arsenio Dominguez: More recently, international shipping and seafarers have been caught up in geopolitical conflicts that are not their responsibility.
Ships of different flags and sailors of very different nationalities have been trapped.
The ships have been targeted by unmanned aerial and surface projectiles. These are civilian merchant ships with no capacity to defend themselves against these attacks.
Civilian sailors are not combatants and should never be a target.
UN News: What are the other potential maritime choke points, globally, that could be vulnerable in times of conflict?
Arsenio Dominguez: Key global waterways for international shipping include:
- Suez Canal
- Bab el-Mandeb Strait
- Strait of Hormuz
- Straits of Malacca and Singapore
- The Strait of Istanbul, the Strait of Çanakkale and the Sea of Marmara
- Panama Canal
Any disruption in these areas would have significant global consequences for trade and food security for populations around the world.
UN News: What role is the UN playing?
Arsenio Dominguez: IMO works with international partners to help States develop their capacity to prepare for, counter and respond to security threats.
This work focuses on the meaningful implementation of relevant IMO security instruments, effective information sharing, regional cooperation/coordination and legal/legislative reform (such as national legislation to prosecute criminal acts).
More generally, IMO works to promote freedom of navigation through international law (UNCLOS), facilitate diplomatic responses to maritime crises, advocate for seafarer safety and humanitarian protection, and support maritime capacity-building for vulnerable States.