Canada backs global maritime pledge against strait fees and tolls

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Canada backs maritime pledge

Highlights

Canada supports a global pledge opposing discriminatory fees, tolls, and restrictions on navigation through international straits, backing UNCLOS principles.
The pledge, announced by EU High Representative Kaja Kallas on October 12, 2026, is endorsed by all EU member states and 33 additional countries including Japan, UK, and Singapore.
Signatories commit to working through international maritime bodies, particularly the International Maritime Organization, to safeguard lawful maritime transit and global supply chain security.

Global pledge sets maritime transit stance

As reported by Government of Canada, citing Global Affairs Canada, Ottawa is endorsing a pledge that calls for preserving the integrity of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, or UNCLOS, and opposes discriminatory limits on the passage of ships through international straits.

The statement says straits used for international navigation are global lifelines and warns that restrictions, conditions or other obstacles to lawful passage would create a dangerous precedent for strategic waterways. It says no state should impose measures inconsistent with international law and frames the issue as central to global security.

The pledge commits supporters to work through international and regional maritime bodies, particularly the International Maritime Organization, and to support defensive, non-escalatory multilateral initiatives intended to preserve freedom of navigation. It also rejects coercive or unilateral action that would undermine the legal order governing international navigation.

Trade and security implications widen support

The declaration says recent disruptions to maritime routes show the worldwide cost of ignoring these principles, with effects on international trade, energy movements, supply chains and food security. It specifically opposes unlawful fees, tolls, discriminatory restrictions, prior authorization requirements and other conditions that would hamper lawful navigation through international straits.

EU High Representative and Vice-President Kaja Kallas announces the global pledge on October 12, 2026, and the initiative now has the backing of all EU member states plus 33 other countries. Those supporters include Canada, Australia, Japan, New Zealand, Norway, Singapore, Switzerland, the Philippines, the Republic of Korea and the UK, among others.

The Philippines’ investment push during President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.’s Singapore visit outlined Manila’s drive to attract long-term capital for infrastructure, technology, and energy diversification, alongside reforms aimed at improving the business environment. Our earlier coverage also highlighted concrete commercial signals—such as logistics expansion plans and new renewable capacity commitments—underscoring how trade flows and supply-chain reliability remain central to regional economic strategy.

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