TOKYO: Ensuring vessels can pass safely through the Strait of Hormuz is essential before navigation through the key waterway fully resumes, Hitoshi Nagasawa, president of the Japanese Shipowners’ Association, said in an interview with Jiji Press on Monday (June 22).
Nagasawa, who is also chairman of Nippon Yusen K.K., a major Japanese shipping company, said the resumption of vessel traffic in the strait was ‘conditional on a complete end to the war and assurances on the safety of ship routes’.
He welcomed the recent US-Iran agreement to end the fighting but warned against complacency, saying: ‘It’s premature to feel relieved.’
Several vessels, including one Japan-linked ship, have passed through the Strait of Hormuz since the global trade route was reopened after the US-Iran deal. However, many vessels remain in the Persian Gulf.
‘We can’t be absolutely certain about the safety’ of ships, Nagasawa said, noting that naval mines are believed to have been laid along conventional shipping routes in the strait.
He said all ships were likely to resume navigation once hostilities had fully ended and details of mine removal operations had been confirmed.
The number of Japan-related ships remaining in the Persian Gulf has fallen to 37 from 45 shortly after the conflict in Iran began in February. Nagasawa thanked the Japanese government for the reduction, saying the eight ships ‘left the strait one by one thanks to the government’s diplomatic efforts.
He said he ‘cannot make a rash judgment’ on when the remaining Japan-linked vessels may resume navigation, but stressed that they would ‘act swiftly and contribute to the Japanese and global economies’ once safety was assured.
Nagasawa also addressed the Japanese government’s designation of the shipbuilding industry as one of its 17 priority investment areas, saying: ‘Japan, as an island nation, needs to strengthen its maritime industries as a whole.’
He said the shipping industry was willing to support the possible resumption of liquefied natural gas tanker production in Japan, provided cost-effectiveness and quality were assured. - Jiji Press
