United Nations, Amid the West Asia crisis, India has urged restoration of safe and unimpeded maritime passage through the Strait of Hormuz at the earliest while expressing concern about safety of its seafarers, stressing that any "purported closure" of vital waterways has direct consequences for the global economy.
Addressing the UN Security Council open debate on 'The Safety and Protection of Waterways in the Maritime Domain' on Monday, Chargé d'affaires at the Permanent Mission of India to the UN, Ambassador Yojna Patel, stressed that India sees maritime security and the protection of waterways as essential to global security and economic prosperity.
India reiterated that freedom of navigation and global commerce through the Strait of Hormuz must be fully respected in accordance with international law and urged that safe and unimpeded maritime passage be restored at the earliest.
India is among the top three seafarer-supplying nations, contributing approximately 13 per cent of the global seafaring workforce.
India aims to maintain secure waterways for the long-term global peace and inclusive growth, and has submitted recommendations to alleviate the situation and contribute to the safety of waterways and seafarers.
UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres said in his address at the debate that the safety of the world's waterways has become a test of the international order itself.
He noted with concern that since early March, the disruption of shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world's most critical maritime chokepoints, has struck at global energy security, food supplies, and trade.
He also pointed out that more than 20,000 seafarers remain stranded at sea and over 2,000 commercial vessels are caught in a web of risks and restrictions to navigation.
