The UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) defines the strait as an international transit passage. This grants all ships and aircraft the legal right to freely navigate through international straits, meaning that coastal States cannot treat waterways as a permission-based corridor or levy tolls for simple passage.
The management of straits is a responsibility and not a matter of ownership, said Moroccan Foreign minister Nasser during a United Nations Security Council Arria-formula meeting held Thursday in New York.
During this meeting, organized by Bahrain under the theme: “Safe Seas, Shared Security: Safeguarding Freedom of Navigation in an Evolving Security Environment,” Mr. Bourita said Morocco is not just a coastal State, but also a country that shoulder its responsibility in the management and security of the Strait of Gibraltar, one of the world’s most important maritime corridors.
Around 100,000 vessels cross annually Gibraltar Strait (some 300 ships per day, or one vessel every five minutes), said the minister, noting that the traffic through this Strait is five times greater than that of the Suez Canal, eleven times higher than that of the Panama Canal, and nearly three times more than traffic through the Strait of Hormuz.
Morocco does not view its geographical position as a privilege or a tool for pressure and coercion, but rather as an international responsibility and a lever for promoting international cooperation, stability and development, said Mr. Bourita.
He called for building an international code of conduct in support of freedom of navigation, based on the principle that international maritime routes must remain open, secure and predictable spaces.