TRIESTE – The president of Confitarma, Mario Zanetti, has asked ministers Crosetto and Salvini for the deployment of the Navy to protect Italian ships in the Persian Gulf and the Strait of Hormuz, in light of the growing risks facing seafarers.
Given the national interests at stake, Confitarma considers it particularly important to strengthen the national system of maritime presence and surveillance in the areas affected by the crisis, also through the possible deployment of Navy units at sea.
According to the Italian Shipowners’ Confederation, such a presence would help strengthen safety conditions for commercial shipping and for seafarers on board, while also representing a concrete sign of attention to the protection of the country’s strategic interests and the stability of international shipping routes.
In his analysis, Zanetti points out how the Strait of Hormuz represents a strategic chokepoint for global maritime trade and energy flows. According to data from Confitarma’s research centre, this passage normally accounts for around 38% of global seaborne oil exports, equal to about 20% of global energy supply, as well as around 30% of maritime LPG trade and 20% of LNG trade.
In 2025, Italy imported around 14.3 million tonnes of energy products from the Persian Gulf countries, equal to more than 13% of total imports, all of which arrive by sea.
In this context, merchant vessels and above all the seafarers on board – a Confitarma statement reads – are operating under increasingly risky conditions, with potential repercussions for the safety of trade routes and the continuity of international logistics chains.
«The fleet operated by Italian shipowners plays an essential role in ensuring the continuity of the country’s energy and commercial supplies and in keeping global trade routes active. For this reason,» Zanetti concluded, «we believe it is important to strengthen the national system of presence and maritime surveillance in the area, also through the possible deployment of Navy units, in order to safeguard freedom of navigation and the country’s strategic interests».
