International Maritime Organization: 6,000 sailors stranded in the Gulf
The United Nations International Maritime Organization (IMO) estimated on Wednesday that approximately 6,000 seafarers remain stranded in the Gulf, in a statement condemning the resumption of confrontations in the region and the Strait of Hormuz.
IMO Secretary-General Arsenio Dominguez said in a statement that “these attacks only fuel the climate of fear (...) and the psychological distress already experienced by some 6,000 seafarers who remain stranded on board ships unable to safely leave the Gulf.” He advised relevant parties to avoid “passing their ships through this strait.”
US President Donald Trump stated earlier on Wednesday that the truce between the United States and Iran had ended, although he left the door open for further talks, following renewed mutual strikes after Iranian attacks targeted ships in the vital Strait of Hormuz.
This strategic waterway remains a focal point of tension in the conflict that began in late February with wide-ranging US-Israeli strikes against Iran.
Tehran insists on controlling the waterway, declaring its intention to impose transit fees and threatening to strike ships that deviate from the single route it permits.
The Iranian military launched attacks on at least three ships in recent days, prompting the United States to carry out broad strikes against Iranian targets on Tuesday, followed by retaliatory attacks by Iran on Gulf states.
Dominguez said, “I condemn the attacks that occurred over the past two days, which targeted several ships transiting the Strait of Hormuz,” adding that “innocent seafarers” face “serious danger.”
He called on “all concerned states to exercise maximum restraint, work to de-escalate without delay, and facilitate the safe departure of ships still stranded in the Gulf since the start of the crisis.”
Days after the signing of a memorandum of understanding between the United States and Iran on June 17, which allowed for the gradual resumption of traffic through the strait, the IMO launched a plan to evacuate 11 seafarers aboard 600 ships stranded in the area, a process expected to take several weeks.
Arsenio Dominguez said at an IMO meeting held in London this week that “during the operation of the evacuation system, 136 ships carrying a total of 2,900 seafarers were successfully evacuated via two alternative routes.”
The evacuations were carried out in coordination with local authorities through two separate routes, one close to the Iranian coast and the other near the coast of the Sultanate of Oman, after the normally used route became impassable due to mines.
However, Dominguez noted that “this process has since been suspended, as the safety of ships and seafarers can no longer be guaranteed.”
