A vital global shipping route has become a waiting room for thousands of seafarers, while every attempted departure carries new risks.
Six months after the start of the conflict in the Middle East, up to 400 vessels remain stranded in the Persian Gulf. Around 6,000 seafarers are aboard them and cannot safely leave the region because of the unstable situation in the Strait of Hormuz.
This was stated by Arsenio Dominguez, Secretary-General of the International Maritime Organization.
Arsenio Dominguez, Secretary-General of the International Maritime Organization, said that some vessels and their crews had already managed to leave the waters of the Persian Gulf. At the same time, hundreds of other ships remain in an area where significant risks to navigation persist.
Thousands of seafarers in the region continue to live and work amid heightened risk and uncertainty. While some vessels and their crews have been able to leave the Persian Gulf, up to 400 ships carrying around 6,000 seafarers have been unable to sail safely since the conflict began.
– Arsenio Dominguez
Blockage of the Strait of Hormuz affects global supplies
Arsenio Dominguez stressed that restrictions on traffic through the Strait of Hormuz are already causing both immediate and long-term consequences. Disruptions along one of the world’s most important sea routes are complicating the supply of fuel, fertilizers, and other cargoes on which economies and communities in different parts of the world depend.
In July, the Council of the International Maritime Organization adopted a resolution on protecting critical maritime routes. The document reaffirmed that the right of transit passage through straits of international importance cannot be restricted, impeded, obstructed, or suspended.
I urge all member states and the shipping industry to work with the International Maritime Organization and the broader United Nations system to advance practical solutions for restoring freedom of navigation through the strait. The deterioration of maritime security worldwide – from the Black Sea to the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden – harms us all.
– Arsenio Dominguez
Seafarers remain the most vulnerable
According to the organization’s Secretary-General, crew members who remain aboard stranded vessels are suffering most from the prolonged danger. They continue to work amid uncertainty and are unable to safely complete their voyages.
At the end of June, the International Maritime Organization suspended its operation to escort vessels through the Strait of Hormuz. The decision followed reports of an attack on one of the ships. The situation in the region continues to pose a threat to crews, international trade, and the continuity of maritime transport.