Eight of the world’s largest shipping associations have urged the United Nations and the International Maritime Organization to oppose any compulsory tolls or transit “service fees” in the Strait of Hormuz, warning that charges “that are a toll in all but name” would undermine the legal framework for international straits.
The joint open letter — signed by the Asian Shipowners’ Association, BIMCO, CLIA, European Shipowners (ECSA), the International Chamber of Shipping, INTERCARGO, INTERTANKO and the World Shipping Council — was sent to UN Secretary-General António Guterres and IMO Secretary-General Arsenio Dominguez. Signatories argue that free, predictable transit through Hormuz is fundamental to supply chains, economic stability and energy security.
Legal Red Line Amid Corridor Talks
The intervention comes as Iran and Oman discuss navigation arrangements for the strait and as Tehran asserts a greater role in managing traffic. Industry groups say allowing mandatory transit charges would depart from established practice under the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea and make it harder to resist similar fees at other choke points. IMO leadership has previously stated that coastal states do not have a right to impose tolls on international straits used for transit passage.
For operators, the letter is more than diplomacy: any fee regime layered onto Severe kinetic risk, northern-route pressure and U.S. blockade enforcement would further distort voyage economics and charter-party risk allocation for any future reopening.
What Operators Should Note
- Watch draft corridor MoUs for fee, permit or “service charge” language that functions as a toll.
- Keep UNCLOS transit-passage arguments ready for charter disputes and insurance queries.
- Assume industry will treat any Hormuz charge as a precedent risk for Malacca, Bab el-Mandeb and other straits.
- Separate physical security cost from potential fiscal transit cost when modelling reopening scenarios.
RegulAs Shipping will report any official response from the UN, IMO or coastal states to the industry letter.
