by Lloyd's List
14 January 2025 (Lloyd's List) - FIVE states have called on the International Maritime Organization’s Legal Committee (LEG) to play a greater role in tackling threats to maritime security.
Belgium, Colombia, Ecuador, India and Peru asked the committee (LEG 112/13/3) to include security threats in its six-year strategic plan for 2024-2029.
They said security threats encompass terrorism, human/drug trafficking, cybersecurity risks, weapons of mass destruction, illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing, as well as those that cause or have the potential of causing environmental damage.
But the LEG only provides an avenue to tackle legal issues concerning piracy and armed robbery at sea, while legal issues arising from other contemporary maritime threats remain unaddressed, the submission said.
“Given IMO’s crucial role in addressing maritime security threats and the severity of their impact, including the proposed output is urgent, imminent and critical for the sustenance of international shipping and trade,” the co-sponsors said.
LEG should “comprehensively address the varied legal issues pertaining to the security of the maritime sector and the marine environment”.
Including security in the strategic plan would help governments share information on threats, which would help tackle problems such as organised crime.
The co-sponsors called for “a prospective vision that enables planning future and unforeseen risks”.
“Maritime security threats should be addressed from all possible angles, [so] the work in this committee can reinforce the technical work in other committees of the organisation,” they said.
The co-sponsors listed wide-ranging threats, from the Houthi attacks in the Red Sea to illegal fishing and their potential to contribute to crime on land.
The diverse nature of such threats and the many players involved “result in a complex and prolonged process” for addressing the resulting legal challenges.
This inhibited their prompt resolution, adding to cost and other burdens for concerned states and disproportionate impact on vulnerable seafarers.
“Therefore, lack of international mechanisms to address their legal implications are not just severe for international shipping, trade and commerce but they are averse to life at sea and the marine environment.”
