Yemen Monitor/Newsroom
The Secretary-General of the International Maritime Organization (IMO), Arsenio Dominguez, stressed on Monday that attacks against seafarers are totally unacceptable.
Dominguez stated that attacks against seafarers in the Red Sea, which have caused incidents such as the sinking of the Rubymar and the True Confidence attack, pose serious threats to global maritime security, as well as the security and maritime trade of the coastal states in the region.
In his recent interview with Vietnam News Agency reporters in the UK at the IMO headquarters in London, the IMO Secretary-General emphasized that attacks against seafarers are totally unacceptable, and sent his deepest condolences to the families of those who lost their lives in the “True Confidence” attack on March 6, including a Vietnamese citizen.
The IMO Secretary-General pointed out that the first impact of these attacks is on seafarers before any impact on trade, affirming that the organization’s first focus is on the safety of seafarers who are doing their jobs, allowing global trade to continue to flow.
The attacks also have negative effects on global trade since maritime shipping carries more than 80% of the total volume of trade in goods, with about 15% of global trade flows passing through the Red Sea each year.
Due to the attacks, ships are now forced to sail around the Cape of Good Hope in South Africa in a longer route, and as a result, not only shipping costs increase, but also emissions from ships which the IMO is working hard to reduce, according to the IMO.
The Secretary-General said that the events have far-reaching economic implications and pose a direct threat to global supply chains. Long disruptions in container shipping can lead to delivery delays, higher costs and inflation, which could affect energy security and food security.
He added: “In terms of the marine environment, the sinking of the Rubymar in early March after being attacked on February 18 not only causes pollution, but at the same time has a negative impact on safety of navigation as it poses a danger to other ships in the area.”
