Statement by Mr. Andžejs Viļumsons, State Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Latvia at UN Security Council High-Level Open Debate on Maritime Security (The Safety and Protection of Waterways in the Maritime Domain)
New York, 27 April 2026
Thank you, Mr. President.
Allow me to begin by thanking Bahrain for convening this open debate to address the critical issue of maritime security. I thank the Secretary-General Guterres, and also IMO Secretary-General Dominguez and Mr Childs for their pertinent briefings.
Global waterways are the backbone of international commerce and global energy flows. Countries across the world depend on the supply of fertilizers, raw materials and other products, from microchips to medicines that are essential to the functioning of our societies.
International law and norms have sustained maritime infrastructure and enabled livelihoods, prosperity and development. Yet, they are being increasingly challenged.
We have experience of addressing certain threats in the maritime domain, usually regional in nature, whether piracy, smuggling or organized crime as well as environmental incidents such as oil spills. Now we are increasingly facing a more direct challenge – deliberate actions from states, intent on crippling the global economy and threatening the right of transit and innocent passage, alongside efforts to circumvent sanctions.
Mr. President,
The safety of critical maritime routes is essential. Any disruptions to this delicate system powering the global economy result in severe consequences for all of us, as seen with the Strait of Hormuz. With supply chains disrupted, global energy prices have been rising sharply and acute food insecurity around the globe has grown at alarming rate. Effects on agriculture will be long-term and cascading in nature. These harmful consequences will continue affecting the most vulnerable the hardest.
The United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea sets the international legal framework within which all activities in the sea are to be carried out in order to ensure lawful and safe maritime navigation. The global community must demonstrate resolve in addressing Iran’s attempts to use an international waterway as a bargaining chip and to hold the global economy hostage. It is a dangerous and far-reaching precedent which we cannot allow to normalize. The Council has been leading the way with resolution 2817, but we must continue to address maritime security as a paramount issue of global stability.
Increasing coordination at international fora like the IMO, as well as among coalitions of states willing to contribute resources ensuring free passage in international waterways, is both timely and welcome. This moment calls for political resolve, strengthened multilateral cooperation, and a renewed commitment to safeguarding the rules based maritime order.
Mr. President,
We also cannot ignore the deliberate campaign by malign state actors to use old and unsafe vessels to evade sanctions – so-called shadow fleet. The reckless use of these vessels, including for hybrid activities, is not just a striking violation of international law, but also creates de facto “floating ecological time-bombs”, risking natural disasters wherever they go. When accidents strike, lack of proper documentation and insurance denies avenues for legal remedies. The Iranian regime and DPRK are prominent guilty parties, but Russia is the undisputed champion of threatening the world’s marine ecosystems, just as it endangers the European mainland and airspace.
On-going efforts demonstrate that evasion of lawful norms will not be tolerated. We must commend the IMO for its work to identify gaps and increase accountability. We also welcome the positive example of meaningful efforts undertaken by our Council colleagues Panama and Liberia, reforming their ship registries, to purge these opaque vessels from their books. Coordination among countries is crucial, as is domain awareness, sharing of intelligence, and new reporting initiatives.
Other emerging risks include those of subsea cable networks connecting the globe, from communications to finance. While most damages still result from accidents and natural events, increasing attention must be paid to deliberate sabotage. The use of shadow fleet vessels for such unlawful actions further complicates attribution. International coordination is needed for monitoring. Relevant regulatory frameworks need to be reviewed and partnerships with leading commercial actors would help increase the diversification and redundancy of subsea networks, as well as expand industry capacity.
Mr. President,
Finally, we should not forget about other threats still disrupting local economies, costing lives and feeding the black market, from piracy to smuggling and trafficking. The Council has played a leading role in combatting these threats and should continue to do so, as it broadens its scope on global maritime security.
Latvia will remain a steadfast defender of maritime security and free and safe navigation, as maritime navigation remains the lifeblood of the global economy and stability. I welcome also the initiatives by France and the United Kingdom and we stand ready to contribute our share to these efforts.
Thank you!