The Malta International Shipowners Association “strongly condemned” the attack on a Malta-flagged container in the Strait of Hormuz as it supported enhanced international measures to safeguard civilian shipping.
In a statement on Friday, MISA warned commercial vessels “must never become targets of violence or geopolitical escalation”.
The attack on the M/V San Antonio in Omani territorial waters as it navigated through the Strait of Hormuz was the third such incident in recent weeks.
“These incidents represent a direct threat not only to maritime safety and freedom of navigation, but above all to the lives, safety, welfare and wellbeing of innocent civilian seafarers serving at sea under increasingly dangerous conditions,” the association said.
It noted that any disruption to the Strait of Hormuz, a vital international waterway for global commerce, carries “significant economic and humanitarian implications worldwide”.
Earlier this week, Foreign Minister Ian Borg condemned the unlawful act in the strongest terms” and notified all United Nations member states of the incident.
“Targeting commercial vessels, and the seafarers who crew them, is unacceptable, violates international law, and endangers global maritime security,” Borg wrote on X.
On Friday MISA said it supported this position, and reaffirmed that “freedom of navigation and transit passage through international straits are fundamental principles protect under international law.
“Merchant ships are civilian objects and seafarers are civilians performing essential global services. They must be afforded full protection under international humanitarian law and should never be exposed to risks arising from geopolitical or military developments beyond their control,” MISA said.
However, it pointed out that the escalation of threats against merchant vessels “demonstrates the limits of what the industry, acting alone, can address”.