Global shipping authorities warn of two-tier maritime system

Global maritime authorities have warned that the emergence of “parallel systems” threatens to create a two-tier structure in international shipping that undermines trust and safety at sea.

In a joint statement issued Tuesday, the Consultative Shipping Group (CSG) — an informal cooperation between the maritime bodies of 18 shipping nations across the globe — noted that more than 80% of global trade is transported by sea.

“Without maritime trade, supply chains would fragment and the global economy as we know it would come to a sudden halt,” the group said.

It warned that maritime supply chains have faced repeated disruptions that “raise uncertainty and add friction to global supply chain efficiency,” pointing to events like the Covid-19 pandemic, the war in Ukraine, drought in the Panama Canal, and the U.S.-Iran war.

Conflict in the Middle East has created a major bottleneck in global shipping this year thanks to blockades and fighting in and around the critical Strait of Hormuz, a waterway south of Iran. Prices of oil and other commodities, like fertilizers, have surged as a result.

The CSG warned Tuesday that “discriminatory trade measures” reinforce the effects of the developments that were impacting maritime navigation.  

“Global shipping works best when rules are clear and consistent around the world,” the coalition said. “Uncertainty about future access to ports or routes can affect long-term commercial planning. When countries begin to pursue diverging approaches, regional initiatives or stalled multilateral processes weaken the coherence of the system.”

“Fragmentation in rules leads directly to fragmentation in markets and ultimately to higher costs for businesses and consumers,” it warned.

CSG members include the respective authorities of Germany, Canada, Japan, the U.K., Denmark and South Korea, among others. They said on Tuesday that geopolitical pressures on shipping were “not episodic shocks,” but “signals of a structural shift in the operating environment of global trade.”

“Shipping routes are increasingly instruments of leverage and risk,” they said. “Sovereignty, resilience and prosperity rely on partnerships and practical cooperation and coordination to preserve an open global trade system.”

They warned that an increasing number of vessels were now engaging in operations that circumvent sanctions, with “an unregulated shadow fleet … of hundreds of ships operating outside of standard insurance, safety and transparency frameworks” further fragmenting global supply chains.

“This creates parallel systems within global shipping, increases risk, and bypasses environmental and safety standards, undermining trust and predictability in maritime markets,” the CSG said. “The result is a two-tier system, one governed by rules, the other by opacity, ultimately weakening both.”

The group called on maritime nations to “actively support and uphold the core principles governing shipping,” saying that existing international rules needed to be enforced across jurisdictions, alongside political support “for developing and upholding common standards.”

“Strong international cooperation is not a constraint on sovereignty; it is a prerequisite for effective governance in an interconnected world,” the CSG said.

“Allowing fragmentation to deepen, undermines the global rules-based maritime framework and increases the risk of disruptions at key maritime chokepoints,” it added. “As the closure of the Strait of Hormuz demonstrates: When shipping supply chains fragment, the global economy fragments with it.”