Hormuz blockade: shipping industry slams transit fees as 20,000 seafarers still stranded

The International Chamber of Shipping (ICS) has denounced proposed tolls in the Strait of Hormuz as a worrisome step in the wrong direction, while noting that several thousand stranded seafarers remain the international shipping community’s foremost concern.

“Freedom of navigation has to be one of the pillars of free trade, and it would be a retrograde step – a really bad step,” said John Denholm, chair designate of the ICS, referring to the idea of charging vessels to transit the oil chokepoint.

Speaking in Hong Kong on Tuesday, Denholm warned that the move could risk opening the floodgates for similar charges across other vital global waterways.

“So, it is a really important battle to keep freedom of navigation to the fore, and ICS is absolutely clear that it is not an acceptable outcome to have fees to transit,” he told reporters ahead of a dialogue with the Hong Kong Shipowners Association.

Following the April 7 ceasefire agreement between Washington and Tehran, Iranian officials reportedly suggested a ⁠toll for using the strait – an idea that has stirred concerns beyond merely the Gulf.

Iranians dismiss Trump threats to block Hormuz Strait

At the media briefing, Denholm said that the industry’s “No 1 concern” involved the 20,000 seafarers stranded in the Persian Gulf, adding that the ICS was working with the International Transport Workers’ Federation and Gulf governments to ensure access to essential supplies and support.

South China Morning Post