IMO Secretary-General: Fragmented Responses Are No Longer Sufficient
IMO Secretary-General Arsenio Dominguez has issued his most forceful public statement since the Strait of Hormuz crisis began, declaring that "fragmented national responses are no longer sufficient" to address a disruption that affects every maritime nation. Speaking at an emergency briefing on April 3, 2026, Dominguez called for a unified multilateral framework to govern transit through the strait and warned that the current patchwork of bilateral agreements and unilateral insurance measures risks permanently fracturing the rules-based maritime order.
The statement is significant because the IMO — the United Nations specialized agency responsible for the safety, security, and environmental performance of international shipping — has traditionally been cautious about wading into geopolitical disputes. Dominguez's remarks represent a departure from that caution and an acknowledgment that the Hormuz crisis has exceeded the boundaries of normal maritime governance.
What Did the Secretary-General Say?
Dominguez outlined three specific concerns in his briefing.
Bilateral transit agreements undermine UNCLOS. Iran's bilateral safe passage negotiations with individual nations — some successful, some rejected — create a two-tier system where access to an international waterway depends on diplomatic relationships rather than the transit passage rights guaranteed under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea. Dominguez stated that this approach, if normalized, would set a precedent applicable to every international strait worldwide.
Insurance interventions are necessary but insufficient. The US $40 billion insurance backstop has kept some commercial traffic moving, but Dominguez argued that government-backed insurance cannot substitute for a functioning legal framework. Insurance addresses financial risk but does not resolve the safety, security, and navigational concerns that arise when a state actor controls access to a strait.
Seafarer welfare requires coordinated action. With an estimated 20,000 seafarers stranded in the Gulf, Dominguez called on all IMO member states to recognize seafarers as essential workers and to facilitate crew changes regardless of the strait's operational status. He noted that the Maritime Labour Convention imposes obligations that are not suspended by geopolitical crises.
What Is the IMO Proposing?
The IMO has convened a special session of the Maritime Safety Committee (MSC) for late April 2026, with the Hormuz crisis as the sole agenda item. The Secretariat has circulated a draft framework that includes three elements:
An international transit coordination mechanism. Rather than bilateral agreements between Iran and individual flag states, the framework proposes a multilateral body — potentially under IMO auspices — that would coordinate transit scheduling, communication protocols, and safety arrangements for all commercial vessels transiting Hormuz.
Mandatory AIS and communication standards. The framework would require all transiting vessels to maintain continuous AIS broadcast and communicate on designated VHF channels monitored by the coordination mechanism, replacing the current ad hoc communication requirements imposed by Iranian naval forces.
A seafarer protection protocol. The framework includes provisions for guaranteed crew change access at designated Gulf ports, regardless of strait transit conditions, and calls on coastal states to provide maritime medical evacuation services to vessels in the Gulf region.
Will Iran Participate?
Iran is an IMO member state and participates in MSC deliberations. However, Tehran has not indicated whether it will engage constructively with the proposed framework or reject it as an infringement on its sovereignty. BIMCO and the International Chamber of Shipping (ICS) have both urged Iran to participate, noting that a multilateral arrangement provides more legitimate and sustainable governance than bilateral deals.
What Does This Mean for Port Operators?
If the IMO framework is adopted, it could standardize the transit conditions that terminal operators need to verify for arriving vessels. A unified coordination mechanism would replace the current situation where each transit may have been conducted under different and opaque conditions. This would simplify pre-arrival screening and reduce the compliance burden on receiving ports.
However, adoption is far from guaranteed, and the timeline is uncertain. Port operators should not wait for IMO action before updating their security and compliance procedures.
Conclusion
The IMO Secretary-General's statement marks a turning point in the institutional response to the Hormuz crisis. Whether the proposed multilateral framework can overcome the political obstacles to adoption remains to be seen. For port operators, the message is clear: the current fragmented approach — where every transit carries unique and unverifiable conditions — is unsustainable. A rules-based solution is urgently needed, and the IMO is positioning itself to provide one.