Capture of ships by US, Iran violates international law, shipping body says

International Chamber of Shipping authoritative tells Al Jazeera the US and Iran should instantly merchandise crews of captured vessels.

A salient shipping organisation has condemned the United States and Iran’s tit-for-tat seizure of commercialized ships and is calling for the contiguous merchandise of their crews.

In an interrogation with Al Jazeera, John Stawpert, marine manager of the International Chamber of Shipping, said seafarers indispensable beryllium allowed to spell astir their concern “freely and without persecution”.

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Stawpert, whose organisation is the apical commercialized relation for merchant shipowners and operators worldwide, called the capture of the vessels an affront to state of navigation arsenic enshrined successful planetary law.

“All these radical are doing is transporting trade. And really, we can’t person a concern wherever ships are being seized yet for governmental ends to beryllium a governmental point,” said Stawpert, whose organisation represents astir 80 percent of the world’s merchant fleet.

“These are guiltless farers and they should beryllium allowed to spell astir their jobs without fearfulness of, essentially, imprisonment.”

Stawpert said Iran’s stated privation to complaint tolls successful the Strait of Hormuz had nary ground successful planetary instrumentality and would acceptable a unsafe precedent.

“If you tin bash it successful the Strait of Hormuz, wherefore can’t you bash it successful the Straits of Gibraltar, say, oregon the Straits of Malacca?” helium asked.

Stawpert besides said the US President Donald Trump’s naval blockade of Iranian ports had heaped further uncertainty connected shipping companies already reeling from Iran’s effectual closure of the strait.

“We don’t cognize what conditions are successful place. We don’t cognize what the targeting criteria of Iran are really,” Stawpert said. “And truthful we past person different authorities coming in, efficaciously doing the aforesaid happening done the blockade of the straits”.

The Epaminondas captured by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps successful the Strait of Hormuz, Iran,  April 24, 2026 [Meysam Mirzadeh/Tasnim/WANA via Reuters]

The US and Iranian militaries person each announced the seizure of 2 commercial vessels  implicit the past week arsenic Washington and Tehran proceed to look disconnected successful the strait and successful waters beyond the Gulf.

The US defence section connected Thursday said it had captured the Iran-linked Majestic X arsenic it was transporting sanctioned lipid successful the Indian Ocean, days aft announcing the interception of different ship, Tifani.

Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps connected Wednesday said it seized the Panamanian-flagged MSC Francesca and the Greek-owned Epaminondas for “operating without the indispensable permits and tampering with navigation systems”.

The Philippines’ Department of Migrant Workers connected Wednesday confirmed 15 Filipino seafarers were connected some vessels.

Officials said they had been assured by Iranian authorities that each the unit were “unharmed” and “safe.”

Montenegro’s maritime minister, Filip Radulovic, said successful an interrogation with the authorities broadcaster earlier this week that 4 Montenegrin unit connected the MSC Francesca were “fine”.

There have been nary official updates connected the condition of the crews on the vessels captured by US forces.

“It seems they’re not being maltreated,” Stawpert said. “But adjacent so, that’s not truly the point. The constituent is they shouldn’t beryllium successful custody successful the archetypal place”.

Stawpert besides expressed interest for the well-being of an estimated 20,000 seafarers who person been near stranded successful the Gulf owed to the effectual closure of the strait.

“Their payment is besides a precedence for us,” helium said. “The intelligence burden, I think, volition beryllium opening to archer connected them aft 7 weeks present of what’s, to each intents and purposes, location arrest”.

Stawpert called connected some the US and Iran to respect state of navigation.

“Let’s resume state of navigation and respect the close to guiltless transition arsenic soon arsenic we possibly can,” helium said.

The blockage of the strait, which usually carries astir one-fifth of planetary lipid and earthy state supplies, has driven up substance prices worldwide and forced galore governments to commencement exigency energy-saving measures.

Traffic successful the waterway remains a fraction of pre-war levels, with reports saying conscionable 5 ships transited the strait successful the past 24 hours.

Before the US and Israel launched their warfare against Iran connected February 28, the strait saw a regular mean of 129 transits, according to the United Nations Trade and Development.