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00:32Ευχαριστώ.
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02:30That because there's no confirmation that the corridor that was established by IMO is safe to transit right now, we
02:38also don't have any information on the safety and security of the other corridor that has been introduced by Iran.
02:44The reality is that what we need for this to de-escalate and from all parties to respect the measures
02:51that have been adopted by IMO and the freedom of navigation.
02:54But if both sides are flouting these rules, what can you do?
02:59What can the international community do to get back to the pre-conflict status quo?
03:05What needs to happen now?
03:07Is there some kind of mechanism that can be put in place to restore the freedom of navigation in the
03:12strait?
03:12The first answer is simple, which is basically to de-escalate and to bring this conflict to an end.
03:18In parallel, in following the decision of the IMO Council a couple of weeks ago,
03:24we already have in place an evacuation framework that would allow us, as soon as it is free for the
03:31ships to transit the strait of Hormuz,
03:33to reinitiate all these mechanisms, all these transits.
03:38We have since 1968 a traffic separation scheme that is coordinated between Oman and Iran.
03:45And this is established in accordance with national law.
03:47It's ready to resume operations.
03:49We are working with both countries, but we need security in the region for the ships,
03:56and particularly the crew, not to be at risk when they resume operations.
04:00You say you're working with both countries.
04:02Can I ask you what your contacts with both Washington and Tehran are like?
04:07Are you getting any sort of receptive or indications that they understand the gravity of the situation
04:14and are willing to de-escalate?
04:15This is a dialogue, and of course, I keep all the conversations within the remit of IMO.
04:21I have shared with them all the plans that we have developed in an operational and technical manner
04:28for as soon as the conflict de-escalates for us to start resuming the transit
04:33in accordance to the mechanisms adopted by IMO.
04:36The countries are a party to the organization,
04:38and they know what the rules of the game are in accordance to our mechanisms.
04:44I also engage with all the countries in the region and countries beyond the region,
04:48because let's face it, it's not just one or two countries that are being affected by these countries,
04:54by this conflict.
04:55It's every single country around the world that actually is feeling a negative impact.
05:00And on that, there is a global coalition meeting tomorrow, led by Paris and London.
05:05They seem to be saying that they're willing to sort of intervene to help on restoring the freedom of navigation
05:10after the conflict has ended.
05:14Do you welcome those efforts?
05:16What do you expect from this coalition?
05:19Absolutely.
05:20This is multilateralism in the way that we need it.
05:23It's bringing countries together to, again, reiterate the principles of the freedom of navigation,
05:29that shipping should not be used as collateral in these geopolitical instances,
05:34and that we need to secure our seafarers in particular.
05:38I'm very grateful to the leadership of the countries of France and the United Kingdom.
05:43And I am engaging with them because we are providing the expertise from all the work
05:49that the organization has put in place.
05:51And of course, they will be able to provide that assistance to guarantee
05:55that the strait is safe for the ships to transit as soon as the conflict is over.
06:00You say that shipping should not be used as collateral in geopolitical conflicts.
06:05But if I may, sir, it is at the moment.
06:09We're seeing Trump not only threatening freedom of navigation in the strait of Hormut,
06:13Iran doing the same, but the U.S. president has also made open threats
06:17on freedom of navigation through the Panama Canal, for example, and other critical waterways.
06:24How difficult is it for you as an organization to defend these rules in this context?
06:30I work very closely with all the member states of IMO.
06:34And of course, here, the message for the organization would not change.
06:38We uphold the international rule of law, in particular, the string of navigations.
06:42Now, this is not the first time.
06:44Regrettably, in recent years, since the conflicts in the Black Sea and the Red Sea
06:49down the strait of Hormut, shipping continues to be used as leverage for this geopolitical conflict.
06:54But it is important for everyone in the planet to recognize that the moment that shipping gets affected,
07:02that's going to have a negative impact on everybody else, on the way that we live our daily lives.
07:09Because shipping, it is necessary for all of us to provide and distribute in large quantities
07:17the goods, the cargoes that are essential for our daily living.
07:21Is there a risk also that in this war, we know that there's a fragile ceasefire in place right now,
07:28but is there a risk that it can now shift to more of an economic war of blockades
07:34that really plays out in the straits and shift into more of a kind of economic maritime war?
07:40Is that something you fear?
07:41What I look for is that in the Rights Forum, the root causes of this conflict can be addressed.
07:48But it's beyond IMO.
07:50From our part, we will continue to uphold all the principles in accordance to international law.
07:55But beyond that, make sure that our technical rules and operational aspects of shipping
08:01continue to demonstrate that we can actually be as resilient as it's always been,
08:07continue to provide, adapt to this conflict,
08:10and that the more that we actually get engaged and dragged into,
08:15the more that some communities, innocent communities, will be affected.
08:19I want to ask you a little bit about the economic repercussions.
08:21You mentioned earlier that only a handful of vessels have been able to pass
08:26compared to the pre-conflict situation.
08:28Can you tell us a little bit about the scenario today
08:31and also about how, if this persists, continues,
08:37what will be the repercussions on the economy?
08:41We already see an increase in global prices, particularly when it comes to oil.
08:47Now, the longer that this continues,
08:49the more that we will feel the negative impacts in the global economy.
08:53because shipping is resilient and we can find different routes to operate in that case.
09:00But what we will not be able to do is to provide the 20% of the fuel oil that
09:06emanates from this region,
09:0819% of natural liquefied gas,
09:1313% of fertilizers and chemicals required for agriculture,
09:189% of automobiles that also are actually coming from this part of the world.
09:25That is an impact that we will not be able to address
09:28because you need shipping to actually carry those cargos in bulk.
09:33And this is why the sooner that this conflict comes to an end,
09:38the quicker that step-by-step shipping will resume normal operations
09:43and the economy will start easing on all this negative pressure.
09:47We also know, and to close, I want to ask you about
09:50how this has also resulted in a soaring freight rate,
09:56also soaring insurance premiums.
09:59Does this risk then having a knock-on effect
10:02that will also affect consumers in terms of pricing?
10:05Definitely.
10:06The moment that you affect freight in the operations on ships,
10:11the moment that that becomes more expensive or is more restrictive
10:15because not all the goods can actually be provided,
10:18then there's a knock-off effect into the global economy.
10:21And that will be passed down to consumers.
10:23And in terms then of the shipping companies,
10:25is this a golden opportunity for them?
10:27Will they end up profiting?
10:28Not necessarily.
10:30And I don't think that it's appropriate
10:31to actually look at it in that perspective
10:33because this is not something that the shipping companies are calling for.
10:36They're also being affected because, of course,
10:38there's an increase on the operational costs of the ships.
10:43Fuel goes up.
10:45That is the main cost of the operations of the ships.
10:48Immediately, everything else will go up.
10:51How hopeful are you to close
10:53that we can go back to the pre-conflict status quo,
10:56as I mentioned earlier?
10:57Is that possible?
10:58Or do you think that this conflict
11:00has already disrupted that status quo
11:03and that a return will not be possible?
11:06I'm optimistic, of course,
11:08that we're actually going to resume
11:10and go back to the days
11:12where we were before the conflict.
11:14And I continue to call on the relevant parties
11:18to, of course, bring those dialogues
11:20that will address the root causes.
11:21The reason why I am optimistic
11:24is because we are all acknowledging and recognizing
11:28and living through the negative impacts
11:29from this conflict.
11:31And this is one of the key messages
11:33that we all need to work together
11:35to demonstrate that the moment
11:38that these kind of situations takes place,
11:41like shipping be used as collateral,
11:43we're all going to have the negative effects.
11:45So it is our voices
11:46that are also going to make us be positive
11:48and allow that these kind of situations
11:50don't repeat again.
11:52Okay, Secretary General,
11:53thank you so much for your time.
11:54Thank you.
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