Senator the Hon. Penny Wong, Commonwealth Minister for Foreign Affairs, has confirmed to Shipping Australia that the Commonwealth Government is committed to upholding the U.N. Convention on the Law of the SEA and will continue to work with partners to defend the rules-based maritime order.
“The Australian Government shares your deep concern,” Minister Wong wrote to Shipping Australia, “about the disruption to international shipping and supply chains caused by Iran’s de facto closure of the Strait of Hormuz, and recognises its significant impact on Australian businesses and consumers. Australia has long called for an end to the conflict in the Middle East. We want to see negotiations between the US and Iran continue and for the Strait of Hormuz and other critical waterways in the region to be kept open”.
She noted that Australia co-sponsored U.N. Security Council Resolution 2817 in March 2026, which affirmed that the exercise of navigational rights and freedoms by merchant and commercial vessels, in accordance with international law, must be respected, particularly around critical maritime routes.
“At the International Maritime Organisation Council’s 36th Extraordinary Session in March 2026, Australia reaffirmed freedom of navigation as fundamental to global stability, and supported urgent IMO action to protect seafarers and maritime safety,” she wrote.
Shipping Australia had written to Minister Wong, after being requested by the International Chamber of Shipping – a worldwide membership body that represents shipping – to take part in its global “No Tolls,” campaign. Shipping Australia is a member of the International Chamber of Shipping.
