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SINGAPORE: The International Maritime Organization (IMO) has adopted a Singapore-led resolution reaffirming the importance of protecting vital shipping lanes and upholding navigational rights for commercial vessels, amid heightened global attention on the security of key maritime routes.<\/span><\/p>\n The resolution was adopted at the 137th session of the IMO Council and was co-sponsored by 30 member states, including Indonesia and Malaysia, said the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) in a media release on Friday (Jul 10).<\/p>\n It reaffirms the importance of upholding and respecting navigational rights and freedoms for commercial ships transiting through vital shipping lanes, including straits used for international navigation, in accordance with international law as reflected in the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).<\/span><\/p>\n The resolution also reiterates the importance of complying with regulations and standards adopted by the IMO.<\/span><\/p>\n It highlights the IMO\u2019s role in promoting a stable, predictable and rules-based maritime order, MPA said.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cIt underscores the importance of international cooperation, dialogue and collective responsibility in keeping vital sea lanes open, secure and accessible,\u201d said the authority.<\/span><\/p>\n The resolution also emphasises the need to protect the health, safety and well-being of seafarers, who play an indispensable role in global supply chains, the authority added.<\/span><\/p>\n MPA said the resolution reflects Singapore’s longstanding commitment to upholding international law and maintaining an open, stable and predictable maritime environment.<\/p>\n “As an open and trade-dependent economy, Singapore supports a stable, rules-based international order to ensure uninterrupted global trade, resilient supply chains and food and energy security,\u201d it added.<\/p>\n Overall daily traffic in the Strait of Hormuz in the Middle East has slowed following Iranian attacks this week on commercial vessels and US retaliatory strikes on Iran.\u00a0<\/p>\n Iran has been exercising control over the strait, despite an interim truce with the US signed on Jun 17 that included the <\/span>reopening of the crucial waterway<\/span>.<\/span><\/p>\n