Yesterday’s debate on “Strengthening Maritime Security through International Cooperation for Global Stability” in the UN Security Council was a strong signal that shipping and free passage at sea is of strategic importance for the whole world.

Shipping binds the world together. Threats to maritime security are threats to global security and stability.

Or, in the words of António Guterres, Secretary-General of the United Nations: “Without maritime security, there can be no global security”. The Secretary-General also mentioned some of the main causes of maritime insecurity: “Houthi attacks on commercial vessels in the Red Sea, trafficking in the Gulf of Aden and the Mediterranean Sea and myriad crime in the Gulf of Guinea.”

Nicolai Ruge, Danish Ambassador and Special Representative for Maritime Security, reaffirmed Denmark’s unwavering support for the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea and freedom of navigation.

Nicolai Ruge also underlined that Denmark firmly supports a strengthened role for the UN in tackling critical maritime security challenges. He further emphasized that protecting critical maritime infrastructure is vital for the functioning of our interconnected societies and that maritime security challenges are often linked to onshore instability in coastal states, including poverty, law enforcement challenges, and climate change.

“I’m very pleased that Denmark as a major maritime nation, uses its seat in the Security Council to call for further global cooperation to address the growing number of maritime security threats. Maritime security and the freedom of navigation are crucial for global trade, prosperity and security,” said Anne H. Steffensen, CEO of Danish Shipping.