Maritime Authorities Say the Rules Governing Global Shipping Are Breaking Down

Eighteen national maritime authorities told the Financial Times that enforcement of international shipping rules is collapsing, describing a structural shift in global trade rather than a temporary disruption. They point to two causes: active wars along major routes, and the growth of the shadow fleet, meaning tankers that operate with opaque ownership, uncertain insurance and flags of convenience in order to move sanctioned cargo.

The consequences are visible off the Horn of Africa. The Guardian reports that Somali piracy against cargo ships and smaller dhows has returned to levels not seen in a decade, attributing the revival to a convergence of factors that includes the war involving the United States, Israel and Iran and political instability inside Somalia. Naval forces that once patrolled those waters have been redirected to higher-priority missions, and the vessels most exposed are the ones least able to pay for armed escorts.

Enforcement of maritime rules has always depended on a small number of navies and insurers acting together. When flag states stop verifying ownership, when insurers cannot confirm what a hull is carrying, and when patrols thin out, the cost of the rules shifts from the regulator to the shipowner. That cost appears as war-risk premiums, longer routes, armed security and slower turnarounds, and it is embedded in the price of every good carried on those routes.