A large-scale operation to evacuate more than 11,000 seafarers stranded in the Persian Gulf will begin through the Strait of Hormuz after Iran and the United States backed plans to reopen the vital shipping route, the International Maritime Organization (IMO) said on Tuesday.
The operation comes nearly a week after Iran and the
United States signed a memorandum of understanding to reopen the strategically important waterway, where shipping traffic remains significantly below prewar levels despite a recent uptick.
STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS ADIMO says safety guarantees secured
IMO Secretary-General Arsenio Dominguez said the organisation had verified conditions for safe navigation before launching the operation.
“We have secured the necessary safety guarantees and have thoroughly verified the conditions for safe navigation to support these operations,” Dominguez said in a statement.
He added that the evacuation would be carried out “in close cooperation with Iran, Oman, all other coastal States in the region, the United States and the maritime industry”.
Phased evacuation through temporary corridors
According to a bulletin issued by Oman’s Navy, ships will leave the strait in phases through two temporary maritime corridors designed to ensure the safety of seafarers.
The bulletin noted that shipping lanes operating under the prewar Traffic Separation Scheme (TSS) are currently unsafe for use. Earlier this month, US Secretary of State
Marco Rubio told Congress that Iran had mined large sections of the Strait of Hormuz.
Ships will be permitted to exit through routes located to the north and south of the TSS. The bulletin added that vessels would be contacted individually and provided with specific departure instructions and transit schedules.
Ship traffic remains below pre-war levels
The evacuation plan follows the memorandum of understanding signed by Tehran and Washington to reopen Hormuz.
Ship movements have risen since the agreement was reached but remain well below prewar levels. According to Kpler’s ship-tracking service MarineTraffic, transits increased to 93 vessels during the weekend of June 19 to 21, compared with 32 between June 12 and 14. Data shared by Kpler showed that at least 39 ships crossed the strait on Monday.
Before the war, more than 100 vessels transited the strait each day.
The Strait of Hormuz plays a vital role in global energy markets, with about 20% of global oil supplies passing through it before the United States and Israel attacked Iran on February 28. Tanker traffic later collapsed after Iran retaliated by attacking commercial ships, triggering what has been described as the largest oil supply disruption in history.
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