The International Maritime Organization confirms its rejection of any transit fees in the Strait of Hormuz

The Secretary-General of the United Nations International Maritime Organization, Arsenio Dominguez, reiterated on Monday that there is no “legal basis” for imposing a transit fee in the Strait of Hormuz, after Tehran announced its intention to implement this measure.

“There is no legal basis for imposing any tax, customs duties, or any fees on the straits used for international navigation,” Dominguez said in a press conference in London.

Dominguez, who was speaking on the sidelines of a meeting of the Marine Environment Protection Committee at the International Maritime Organization, indicated that he was communicating with “all countries in the region,” including Iran.

He expressed his categorical rejection of the possibility that any settlement to reopen the Strait of Hormuz would include payment of any kind of fees.

He stressed that implementing the plan that the International Maritime Organization pledged to work on to evacuate 20,000 sailors stranded on about 1,600 ships in the Gulf will not be possible until the passage is completely secured, considering that this matter will not be achieved if transit fees are imposed.