“Maritime Safety and Security: Protection of Seafarers”: Arria-formula Meeting
Tomorrow morning (21 November), there will be an Arria-formula meeting on “Maritime Safety and Security: Protection of Seafarers”. Greece and non-Council members India and the Philippines are organising the meeting. Denmark and Panama are co-sponsoring the meeting with non-Council members Japan and Romania. Ambassador Aglaia Balta (Greece) will provide opening remarks, and Secretary-General of the International Maritime Organization (IMO) Arsenio Dominguez will make welcoming remarks. The briefers are expected to include: Captain Antonios Doumanis, Seafarers’ Labour Director at the Ministry of Maritime Affairs and Insular Policy of Greece; Emmanuel Donato Guzman, Office of Maritime and Ocean Affairs at the Department of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of the Philippines; Dr. Bimal N. Patel, member of the International Law Commission and Professor of International Law at Rashtriya University in India; and Captain Eleni Papadopoulou, General Secretary-Masters and Mates Union of the Greek Merchant Marine.
The meeting, which will begin at 10 am EST and take place in Conference Room 4, will be broadcast on UNTV. It will be open to representatives of all UN member states and permanent observers, UN entities, civil society organisations, and academia.
The concept note circulated by the co-organisers in advance of the meeting underscores the “intrinsic link between the protection of seafarers and the maintenance of international peace and security”. In this regard, it notes the risks faced by seafarers from conflict, terrorism, and pandemics, highlighting the “need to enhance the protection and security of the two million seafarers who sustain international maritime transport and global trade”.
Several questions are posed in the concept note to help guide the discussion, including:
- How do threats to the international safety and well-being of seafarers—such as piracy and attacks in conflict zones—affect international peace and security and the stability of global trade routes?
- Could enhanced protection of seafarers serve as a preventive measure against wider maritime instability?
- What are the reasons for the limited percentage of women in the global seafaring workforce and how can women’s empowerment in the maritime environment be enhanced?
- How can the international community foster coordination in implementing relevant international instruments for strengthening the protection and safety of seafarers?
Several Council members acknowledge that maritime security demands coherent and effective multilateral approaches, particularly because of its transnational implications. Piracy off the coast of Somalia and in the Gulf of Guinea, as well as attacks by the Yemeni Houthi rebel group on shipping in the Red Sea, have been a key concern of Council members in recent years. On 10 January 2024, the Council adopted resolution 2722, which demanded that the Houthis immediately cease all attacks on merchant and commercial vessels and took note of the right of member states, in accordance with international law, to defend their vessels from attacks. The Council also receives monthly reporting from the UN Secretariat on Houthi attacks on merchant and commercial vessels in the Red Sea, in line with resolution 2787 of 15 July.
Maritime security is a priority for Greece during its Council tenure. In addition to co-organising tomorrow’s Arria-formula meeting, it convened an open debate titled “Strengthening maritime security through international cooperation for global stability” on 20 May as the signature event of its Council presidency that month. It also organised a side event on 23 September on the margins of the opening of the 80th session of the UN General Assembly on “Safeguarding the Freedom of Navigation: Maritime Security and Coordinated Responses”. Other Council members, such as Denmark and Panama, are also strong proponents of this issue. Early this year, Denmark released its “Global Security Strategy for Maritime Security 2025-2028”, which is meant to “promote multilateralism and international and regional collaboration to boost maritime security”. Panama convened an open debate on “Maritime security: prevention, innovation, and international cooperation to address emerging challenges” on 11 August as the signature event of its Council presidency that month. Danish, Greek, and Panamanian-owned or flagged ships have been the object of Houthi attacks in the Red Sea.
Some members have reservations about Council engagement on this file, however. Russia, for example, has voiced doubts about an expansive Council role in maritime issues. In this regard, Russia argued in the 20 May meeting that issues such as “transnational organized crime, the illicit arms trade, drug trafficking, trafficking in persons and the illegal exploitation of marine resources…are not part of the Security Council’s remit”.
At tomorrow’s meeting, speakers are likely to note the essential role that seafarers play in global trade, while underscoring the importance of ensuring their safety and wellbeing. They may emphasise the ways in which piracy and armed attacks on shipping disrupt navigation, endanger lives, and adversely affect peace and security. Some member states may highlight the need to promote fair and safe working conditions for seafarers and encourage the enhanced participation of women in the maritime sector. Some may also underscore the need to uphold the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) as the legal framework for maritime governance and welcome the amendments to the Maritime Labour Convention in June, which sought to improve working conditions for seafarers. There are also member states that may criticise US strikes against vessels purportedly involved in drug trafficking in the Caribbean Sea and the eastern Pacific Ocean as a violation of international law.
