While some ships and their crews have been able to leave the Persian Gulf, up to 400 ships carrying around 6,000 seafarers have been unable to depart safely since the conflict began.

Thousands of seafarers have been stuck in the Persian Gulf since the current conflict in the Middle East began on 28 February this year. To date, at least 70 attacks on international shipping have been verified by IMO, with 19 seafarers killed. With maritime security threats on the rise globally, IMO Secretary-General Arsenio Dominguez issued the following statement: 

The situation in the Strait of Hormuz is unresolved

“Six months since the conflict in the Middle East began, the situation in the Strait of Hormuz is unresolved. Thousands of seafarers in the region continue to live and work under conditions of heightened risk and uncertainty. While some ships and their crews have been able to leave the Persian Gulf, up to 400 ships carrying around 6,000 seafarers have been unable to depart safely since the conflict began. The impacts of this crisis are grave – both in the short and long term. The disruption of vital supply chains for fuels, fertilizers and other commodities has consequences for communities and economies around the world. 

The IMO resolution on protecting vital shipping lanes.

In July, the IMO Council adopted a resolution on the protection of vital shipping lanes, reaffirming that the right of transit passage through straits used for international navigation must not be threatened, impeded, denied, hampered, impaired or suspended. It called for a coordinated and sustainable return to unhindered navigation through the Strait of Hormuz. Renewed political will and cooperation are needed to deliver on this commitment. 

Related: IMO targets seafarer fatigue, work and rest hours, and harassment at sea

Advance practical solutions to restore the freedom of navigation

I call on all Member States and the shipping industry to work together with IMO and the wider United Nations system, to advance practical solutions to restore the freedom of navigation through the Strait. The deterioration of maritime security around the globe – from the Black Sea to the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden – is detrimental to us all. But it is particularly distressing for the thousands of innocent seafarers affected.” 

For more information on the impact of the Middle East conflict on shipping, visit: Middle East.

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