IMO Secretary-General Calls on States to Strictly Enforce Maritime Rules in the Strait of Hormuz

International Maritime Organization Secretary-General Arsenio Dominguez issued a statement on November 11 calling on states to strictly enforce international maritime safety rules in the Strait of Hormuz. He said the IMO's technical and operational rules exist to protect seafarers, ships and the marine environment and must be respected and effectively enforced, yet too many vessels transit the strait without observing basic requirements of conventions such as the International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS).

The unsafe practices named in the statement include substandard ships, obscured IMO ship identification numbers, and fraudulent registration and false flags. Dominguez called on flag, port and relevant coastal states to act against violations under international law within their jurisdictions, strongly urged shipowners and operators not to engage in commercial activity in the strait that puts seafarers at unacceptable risk, and asked governments to address the root causes of the conflict, which he said has raised the cost of living for millions of people worldwide.

According to the IMO, it has verified more than 130 merchant-ship incidents since the conflict began on February 28, 2026; as of November 10 the total stood at 133, with 25 seafarers killed. The statement follows the 138th session of the IMO Council in London on November 2-6, which condemned attacks on merchant shipping, called on states not to take unlawful measures endangering seafarers and international navigation, and reaffirmed that the waterway must remain open and safe.

The November 11 statement itself did not name any country. On November 3, Dominguez had separately said he did not recommend any vessel transit the strait because it could not be confirmed that naval mines had been cleared.

Related: Iranian Lawmaker Says Chinese and Indian Ships May Transit Hormuz for a Fee; India Says It Has No Iranian Assurance

Source: International Maritime Organization

Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)

Photo: 图：霍尔木兹海峡卫星图（资料图）。图：美国国家航空航天局 MODIS 陆地快速反应小组，公共领域，经维基共享资源 / Satellite view of the Strait of Hormuz (file photo). Photo by the MODIS Land Rapid Response Team, NASA GSFC, public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Latest in World

Merz Says a German Chancellor Must Talk to Putin at Some Point; Kremlin Says Putin Is Open to Contact2026-11-11Third Schuman Security and Defence Forum Meets in Brussels on November 17-18: Decision-Makers From More Than 85 Partner Countries, Kallas to Deliver Keynote2026-11-11