Ensuring the safe passage of vessels is essential for the resumption of navigation through the Strait of Hormuz, Hitoshi Nagasawa, president of the Japanese Shipowners¡¯ Association, said in an interview Monday.
The resumption of vessel traffic in the strait is ¡°conditional on a complete end to the war and assurances on the safety of ship routes,¡± said Nagasawa, chairman of Nippon Yusen, a major Japanese shipping company.
While welcoming the recent U.S.-Iran agreement to end fighting, he expressed caution, saying, ¡°It¡¯s premature to feel relieved.¡±
Several vessels, including one Japan-linked ship, have passed through the Strait of Hormuz since the key global trade waterway was reopened following the U.S.-Iran deal. However, many vessels still remain in the Persian Gulf.
¡°We can¡¯t be absolutely certain about the safety¡± of ships, Nagasawa said, as naval mines are believed to be laid along conventional shipping routes in the strait. All ships will likely resume navigation once hostilities have fully ended and details of mine removal operations are confirmed, he added.
The number of Japan-related ships remaining in the Persian Gulf has fallen to 37 from 45 soon after the conflict in Iran began in February. Nagasawa expressed gratitude to the Japanese government over the reduction, saying that the eight ships ¡°left the strait one by one thanks to the government¡¯s diplomatic efforts.¡±
He said he ¡°cannot make a rash judgment¡± about when the remaining Japan-linked vessels may resume navigation, while stressing that they will ¡°act swiftly and contribute to the Japanese and global economies¡± once safety is assured.
Referring to the Japanese government¡¯s designation of the shipbuilding industry as one of its 17 priority investment areas, Nagasawa said, ¡°Japan, as an island nation, needs to strengthen its maritime industries as a whole.¡±
He said the shipping industry is willing to support the possible resumption of liquefied natural gas tanker production in Japan if their cost-effectiveness and quality are assured.
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