The Strait of Hormuz, the Red Sea, waters off Somalia and the Black Sea are all facing serious security challenges at the same time, according to Damien Chevallier, director of the Maritime Safety Division at the International Maritime Organization (IMO).
Speaking to UN News, Chevallier said about 2,000 vessels and 20,000 seafarers were affected by disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz at the start of the conflict.
But Hormuz is only one part of the problem.
The Red Sea remains exposed to Houthi attacks, while piracy has increased off Somalia as naval resources have been redirected toward other maritime threats. In the Black Sea, oil tankers and grain vessels have also come under attack.
Piracy rises as naval resources shift
Chevallier said pirates off Somalia have taken advantage of the reduced naval presence in the region, targeting smaller and more vulnerable bulk carriers.
Read also : EU warns of new terror threat as young people seek violence online
Somalia is working on new anti-piracy legislation that could help address gaps in the legal framework for prosecuting suspected pirates.
The situation in the Black Sea presents a separate challenge. Chevallier said misinformation from the parties to the conflict makes it difficult to verify the exact number of attacks and casualties.
Still, the decline in maritime traffic is clear.
Ukrainian grain ports are currently receiving only one or two vessels a day, compared with around 20 to 30 during normal periods, despite the harvest season.
Disruptions could push up food and energy prices
Around 20% of the world’s oil passes through the Strait of Hormuz, while Hormuz and the Black Sea are also important routes for fertilizer shipments. The Black Sea is a major corridor for grain exports.
Disruptions can therefore affect energy prices, food supplies and inflation far from the conflict zones.
Rerouting ships, higher insurance premiums and additional security measures are also increasing shipping costs. Chevallier warned that some of the effects could continue into next year, with developing countries likely to be particularly exposed.
The shipping industry is also facing a longer-term problem: attracting and retaining seafarers.
Seafarers face growing risks
With commercial ships increasingly exposed to drones, attacks and piracy, working at sea has become more dangerous.
“Being a seafarer has become a genuinely dangerous profession,” Chevallier said.
Seafarers are trained to operate ships, he noted, but not to deal with threats arising from wider geopolitical conflicts.
That could make the profession less attractive to younger workers already wary of long periods away from their families and limited internet access while at sea.
The consequences of a shortage may take years to emerge. But replacing experienced crews is not something that can happen quickly, given the time required to recruit, train and qualify new seafarers.
Attacks on ships also pose environmental risks, especially when tankers or vessels carrying hazardous cargo are involved.
IMO calls for diplomacy
Chevallier urged governments to rely on diplomacy and respect for international and humanitarian law rather than allowing threats to commercial navigation to become normalized.
Read also : UN sets November 27 as International Day to Eliminate Child Marriage
He also warned against treating the increased arming of commercial vessels as a long-term solution.
More weapons on ships, he said, could encourage attackers to develop smaller and more evasive weapons in response.
For the IMO official, the answer lies in diplomacy and renewed international engagement.
The simultaneous crises affecting major shipping routes have made commercial vessels increasingly vulnerable to conflicts in which they have no direct role, placing pressure on an industry that carries much of the world’s energy, food and manufactured goods.
