The Consultative Shipping Group, an informal coalition representing 18 of the biggest shipping countries, warned that geopolitical conflict, trade restrictions, maritime chokepoints and diverging rules are creating parallel systems that could split international shipping into a rules-based tier and a less transparent one. The group said attacks on ships in the Strait of Hormuz and the Black Sea were not isolated shocks but a signal of a structural shift in global trade’s operating environment. More than 80% of global trade moves by sea, and the CSG said disruptions including the Covid-19 pandemic, the war in Ukraine, drought in the Panama Canal and the U.S.-Iran war have increased uncertainty and costs. It also pointed to blockades and fighting around the Strait of Hormuz, which have driven up prices for oil and commodities such as fertilizers. The CSG said an unregulated shadow fleet of hundreds of vessels operating outside standard insurance, safety and transparency frameworks was further fragmenting maritime markets. It called for stronger international cooperation, enforcement of existing rules across jurisdictions and political support for common shipping standards.