Walter Finch
THE status of ‘Gibraltar’s sovereignty’ is going to feature in part of an investigation by the Trump administration into ‘unfavourable shipping conditions’ in the Strait.
The Federal Maritime Commission (FMC) has announced it will look at a range of factors that may affect US shipping and trade in the region.
Under the microscope will be the ‘causes, nature, and effects, including financial and environmental effects’ of any constraints on US trade and shipping and consider what steps to take to ‘alleviate’ them.
It will include numerous EU regulations American vessels must comply with, as well as ‘geopolitical tensions’ and the ‘laws, regulations or practices of foreign governments.’
The probe comes as part of a wider investigation into seven international maritime bottlenecks around the world and their impact on US trade.
The FMC highlighted several concerns in the Strait of Gibraltar, one of which was the ‘issues surrounding the status of Gibraltar.’
Others included collision risks due to high vessel traffic, strict EU emissions regulations, geopolitical spats between Spain and Morocco, and even piracy.
The new Trump administration will cast its eye over how the ‘laws, regulations or practices’ of foreign governments in the region – namely those of Spain, Gibraltar and Morocco – contribute towards these issues and the ‘constraints’ they may cause.
The FMC called the Strait ‘one of the world’s busiest shipping lanes, with heavy traffic and limited space for large vessels’ and pointed out its concerns over ‘the risk of collisions, congestion, and delays, especially during peak periods.’
“Navigational challenges such as strong currents, winds, and fog further complicate passage, while environmental risks like oil spills and pollution, along with strict regulations, create additional constraints.’
The six other bottlenecks under examination include the Northern Sea Route, the English Channel, the Strait of Malacca, the Singapore Strait, the Panama Canal, and the Suez Canal.
The Commission is specifically interested in responses from foreign governments, container shipping companies, vessel owners, bulk cargo operators, and freight forwarders to six specific questions about the causes, nature, and effects of restrictions at these maritime chokepoints.
The Commission will offer a ‘route for interested parties to provide information, perspectives, and proposed solutions’
Discussion of remedial measures or any other actions, if needed, would occur later in the process, and would be accompanied by the opportunity for additional public comment.
This investigation will begin with a 60-day public consultation period looking to answer the following questions:
In particular, the Commission welcomes information and perspectives on the following:
1. What are the causes, nature, and effects, including financial and environmental effects, of constraints on one or more of the maritime chokepoints described above?
2. To what extent are constraints caused by or attributable to the laws, regulations, practices, actions, or inactions of one or more foreign governments?
3. To what extent are constraints caused by or attributable to the practices, actions, or inactions of owners or operators of foreign-flag vessels?
4. What will likely be the causes, nature, and effects, including financial and environmental effects, of any continued transit constraints during the rest of 2025?
5. What are the best steps the Commission might take, over the short term and the long term, to alleviate transit constraints and their effects?
6. What are the obstacles to implementing measures that would alleviate the above transit constraints and their effects, and how can these be addressed?
