Washington: Targeting Russia and North Korea, the G7 Foreign Ministers today released a “G7 Maritime Security and Prosperity Declaration”. They extended an invitation to the Nordic-Baltic 8 countries—Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Iceland, Latvia, Lithuania, Norway, and Sweden—to collaborate with the participating G7 nations in establishing a ‘Shadow Fleet Task Force.’ This initiative aims to improve monitoring and detection capabilities while also limiting the operations of shadow fleets involved in illegal, unsafe, or environmentally harmful activities, thereby building upon the efforts of other stakeholders engaged in this domain.
“The Task Force will constitute a response by the participating States to the call by the International Maritime Organization in its Resolution A.1192(33) of 6 December 2023 for Members States and all relevant stakeholders to promote actions to prevent illegal operations in the maritime sector by shadow fleets and their flag states, including illegal operations for the purposes of circumventing sanctions, evading compliance with safety or environmental regulations, avoiding insurance costs, or engaging in other illegal activities,” the declaration stated.
The G7 Foreign Ministers claimed the rise of unsafe and illicit shipping practices, including fraudulent registration and registries, poses a significant threat to global trade and environmental sustainability. “We are concerned that unsafe and illicit shipping imposes heavy costs on industry, governments and citizens,” they said.
Targetting Russia and North Korea in this context, the G7 Foreign Minister claimed Russia has managed to maintain its revenue streams by skillfully evading the G7+ oil price cap policy through a shadow fleet comprised of often older, underinsured, and poorly maintained vessels that frequently disable their automatic identification systems or engage in deceptive practices to avoid detection, thereby bypassing international safety, environmental, and liability regulations.
North Korea, they claimed, continues to advance its nuclear and ballistic missile programmes while evading sanctions, particularly through illicit maritime operations, including prohibited ship-to-ship transfers of petroleum and other commodities banned by the United Nations. “Through G7 coordination, we have exposed North Korea’s uses of “dark” vessels – those that engage in illicit activity – to circumvent United Nations Security Council mandated sanctions,” they revealed.
The G7 Foreign Minister also expressed their strong disapproval of China’s “unlawful, provocative, coercive, and perilous activities aimed at unilaterally changing the status quo”, which, they claimed, poses a threat to regional stability. These actions, they said, include land reclamation efforts and the construction of outposts, which are being utilized for military purposes.
The G7 Foreign Ministers of Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom, the United States of America, and the High Representative of the European Union reaffirmed that their basic policies on Taiwan remain unchanged and emphasize the importance of peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait as indispensable to international security and prosperity.
Addressing areas that are yet to be definitively delineated, the G7 Foreign Ministers underscored the critical need for coastal states to refrain from unilateral actions that could lead to irreversible changes in the marine environment, especially if such actions threaten or hinder the attainment of a final agreement. They also stressed the importance of making concerted efforts to establish practical provisional arrangements in these regions.
The G7 Foreign Ministers firmly opposed any unilateral initiatives aimed at changing the status quo, especially those executed through force or coercion in the East and South China Seas. They vowed to develop systematic methods for monitoring and reporting on attempts to alter the status quo by force and the creation of new geographical facts, including coercive and hazardous actions on the oceans and seas that may threaten both regional and international peace and security.
Reaffirming the G7’s “steadfast commitment” to contribute towards a free, open, and secure maritime domain based on the rule of law that strengthens international security, fosters economic prosperity, and ensures the sustainable use of marine resources, they expressed “deep concern” over the growing risks to maritime security, including strategic contestation, threats to freedom of navigation and overflight, and illicit shipping activities.
They shared a growing concern at “recent, unjustifiable efforts” to restrict such freedom and to expand jurisdiction through use of force and other forms of coercion, including across the Taiwan Strait, and in the South China Sea, the Red Sea, and the Black Sea.
“State behaviour in these areas has increased the risk of conflict and environmental damage, and imperils all nations’ prosperity and living standards, especially for the world’s poorest..,” they stated.
The G7 Foreign Ministers condemned “perilous manoeuvres” by vessels, indiscriminate attacks on commercial shipping, and other maritime actions that undermine the maritime order based on the rule of law and international law and reiterated that the decision made by the Arbitral Tribunal on July 12, 2016, is a significant legal milestone that is binding on the parties involved and provides a valuable framework for the peaceful resolution of disputes.
Over 80% of global trade is transported by sea, and 97% of global data flows through submarine cables. Disruptions to maritime routes pose a direct threat to international food security, critical minerals, energy security, global supply chains, and economic stability. The G7 Foreign Ministers articulated their growing apprehension regarding the critical damage sustained by undersea communications cables, subsea interconnectors, and other crucial underwater infrastructure. Such damage, resulting from sabotage, negligent seamanship, or irresponsible behavior, has the potential to disrupt internet and energy services in the affected regions, cause delays in global data transmission, and jeopardize sensitive communications.”We will enhance our cooperation with industry to mitigate risks, reduce bottlenecks to operational tasks, while strengthening repair capacities in order to improve the overall resilience of critical undersea and maritime infrastructure. In this respect, we welcome the EU Action Plan on Cable Security adopted in February 2025 by the European Commission and the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy,” they stated.
In the past year, indiscriminate Houthi attacks in the Red Sea have endangered maritime security of vessels and their crews, disturbed international trade, and exposed neighboring countries to environmental hazards. The G7 claimed that enabled by Iran’s military, financial, and intelligence support, these illegal attacks have contributed to increased tension in the Middle East and Yemen, with severe repercussions on the intra-Yemeni peace process. “The vessel “Galaxy Leader” seized by the Houthis must be released immediately,” they demanded.
The stated G7 Maritime Security and Prosperity Declaration provides a framework for cooperation with non-G7 Partners, including countries hosting major ports, large merchant fleets, or extensive flag registries as well as relevant regional and International Organizations, such as the International Maritime Organization and ASEAN.
“We would welcome robust cooperation with Partners to take forward the goals set out in this Declaration, consistent with the principles of sovereignty and territorial integrity, under the efforts of the G7 countries, including a free, open, prosperous and secure Indo-Pacific region, to build a free and open maritime order based on the rule of law, and of commitment to the sustainable development of the world’s maritime spaces,” they added.
– global bihari bureau
