Merchant ships and seafarers are increasingly in peril at sea as attacks escalate in the Middle East and the United Nations must do more to protect supply chains, the industry said in a letter released on Friday.
In a letter sent on Thursday to UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, the world’s leading shipping industry associations said Iran’s seizure on April 13 of the MSC Aries container ship 50 nautical miles off the United Arab Emirates coast “once again highlighted the intolerable situation where shipping has become a target”.“The world would be outraged if four airliners were seized and held hostage with innocent souls onboard. Regrettably, there does not seem to be the same response or concern .
The industry letter said “seafarers and the maritime sector are neutral and must not be politicised”.