Seafarers are not combatants, Kazakos tells Hamburg forum

Seafarers must not be drawn into geopolitical conflicts or used as leverage in disputes over international waterways, International Chamber of Shipping (ICS) secretary-general Thomas Kazakos told shipping leaders in Hamburg this week. Kazakos delivered the opening address at the Xinde Marine Forum, held under the theme ‘Navigate Uncertainty, Embrace Transition’. Addressing the growing dangers facing crews, he said seafarers “should not be caught in the middle of geopolitical conflicts”, stressing that “they are not combatants” but people working thousands of miles from home to keep essential goods, energy and food moving around the world. His remarks came during a busy week for the ICS at SMM Hamburg, where its chairman, John Denholm, also spoke about the difficult investment decisions confronting shipowners. Taking part in the opening press conference, entitled ‘Autonomy & Security: Shaping a Resilient and Intelligent Maritime Future’, Denholm said the problem was not a lack of willingness among shipowners to invest. Instead, growing supply-chain instability and geopolitical risk had made it harder to determine which technologies and projects would remain commercially viable over the lifetime of a vessel. For shipowners considering major capital commitments, he explained, the central challenge was creating sufficient confidence to invest in a business environment that was changing quickly. Denholm was joined by International Maritime Organisation (IMO) secretary-general Arsenio Dominguez and senior representatives from DNV, Everllence, the German Shipowners’ Association, Meyer Turku and Hamburg Messe und Congress, who offered their perspectives on maritime security and the industry’s changing technological needs. Both appearances reflected the ICS’ wider concern that geopolitical disruption is placing crews at risk while making long-term decisions more difficult for the companies responsible for renewing the global fleet. That concern has been at the heart of the organisation’s recent campaign to protect freedom of navigation and oppose the possible introduction of compulsory tolls or service charges in the Strait of Hormuz. The campaign follows injuries and deaths among seafarers operating in the region since the outbreak of conflict around the strategically important waterway. For the ICS, the safety of those crews is inseparable from the broader principle that merchant vessels should be able to travel through international waterways safely and without unnecessary restrictions. On August 3, the organisation coordinated a joint open letter to United Nations secretary-general António Guterres and IMO secretary-general Arsenio Dominguez. Signed by eight leading shipping associations, the letter raised concerns over proposals to impose tolls or compulsory service charges on vessels passing through the Strait of Hormuz. It warned that such measures could weaken the established legal framework governing international straits, create a precedent for similar charges elsewhere and push up shipping and energy costs. The ICS has argued that rights of passage through international waterways must not become bargaining tools in political negotiations, particularly when disruption can quickly affect supply chains, energy security and consumer prices. Alongside the letter, the organisation prepared a briefing for its members to share with national governments and published explanatory material on international waterway tolls. It also wrote to the president of the UN Security Council before a possible discussion of the issue and held meetings with ministers in Bahrain, Saudi Arabia and Qatar. In Hamburg, Kazakos placed the campaign within a wider warning about increasing fragmentation in international shipping regulation. He said regional approaches, competing requirements and growing pressure on international institutions presented a serious challenge for an industry that depends on common global rules. Shipping is international by its nature, he argued, meaning that conflicting regulatory systems could undermine its ability to keep trade moving and deliver essential supplies. Kazakos had previously warned that the gradual weakening of international law and the rules-based international order was becoming one of the most serious challenges facing the industry. Beyond the Hormuz campaign, the ICS used August to begin work on several safety, technology and environmental projects. Its technical director, Chris Waddington, took part in a meeting of the International Atomic Energy Agency for its ATLAS initiative. The project, whose name stands for Atomic Technologies Licensed for Applications at Sea, will examine the requirements governing nuclear-powered merchant vessels and floating nuclear power stations. That work will complement efforts at the IMO to update its safety code for nuclear merchant ships as the industry considers how new technologies could support the transition to lower-emission shipping. The ICS commercial team also began updating ‘Peril at Sea and Salvage: A Guide for Masters’ in partnership with the Oil Companies International Marine Forum. First published in 1979 and most recently revised in 2020, the guide sets out the steps a ship’s master should take during an emergency, from the initial assessment to possible towage or salvage arrangements. The working group is expected to spend the coming year reviewing recent incidents and adapting the guidance to reflect modern vessels, technologies and operating practices. Progress was also reported on ISF Verify, a cloud-based platform intended to replace paper seafarer certificates with secure digital records connected to national databases. Developed by the ICS and Lloyd’s Register OneOcean, the system allows maritime authorities, port state control officers, shipping companies and seafarers to verify qualifications more quickly. ICS chief finance and commercial officer Elliott Adams presented the platform virtually during the Indian Ocean Memorandum of Understanding’s 29th committee meeting, outlining its role in simplifying compliance and supporting digitalisation across the industry. Environmental work continued in Singapore and Belfast, where ICS representatives contributed to discussions on ballast-water management, hull biofouling and the practical implementation of international regulations. The organisation called for more designated ballast-water exchange and same-risk areas, which would reduce unnecessary vessel diversions, as well as measures that protect marine environments without creating impractical demands for crews. Further discussions are planned during September, including an ICS-led World Trade Organisation Public Forum panel examining how maritime disruption affects energy and food security.