Eight major international shipping associations have urged the UN to oppose the introduction of compulsory tolls or service charges for vessels passing through the Strait of Hormuz.
In a joint open letter addressed to UN chief Antonio Guterres and International Maritime Organization (IMO) Secretary-General Arsenio Dominguez, the groups warned that such fees would undermine freedom of navigation and damage the global economy.
The letter was sent Monday and published Wednesday by the International Chamber of Shipping.
“Introducing compulsory charges for transit, or service fees that are a toll in all but name, through the Strait of Hormuz would represent a significant departure from established international practice,” the letter said.
The associations warned that allowing such charges could create a precedent for similar measures in other international waterways and weaken the internationally recognized legal framework governing transit passage.
