International Maritime Organization Secretary-General Arsenio Dominguez has said that at least seven seafarers have been killed in attacks on shipping as the war involving Iran enters its second week.
Speaking at the opening of the 12th session of the Sub-Committee on Ship Systems and Equipment, Dominguez said he was gravely concerned by the recent attacks on merchant vessels in and around the Strait of Hormuz. He stated that these incidents had resulted in at least seven fatalities and several injuries, including some seafarers who were seriously wounded.
He used the occasion to repeat that freedom of navigation must be respected without exception.
On Friday, the IMO chief had already condemned the attack on the tug Mussafah 2, which was hit by two missiles while trying to assist the abandoned container ship Safeen Prestige. That attack left at least four crew members dead and several others seriously injured.
Other confirmed deaths include a shipyard worker killed in the strike on the Stena Imperative in Bahrain, one seafarer on board the MKD Vyom, and one seafarer on the Skylight. Another individual has also been reported missing.
Dominguez said that any attack on innocent seafarers or civilian shipping is unacceptable. He stressed that these crews are simply carrying out their duties and providing an essential service to the global community by ensuring the continued movement of goods and energy, and said they must be protected from the consequences of wider geopolitical tensions.
He added that all parties, without exception, must respect freedom of navigation, which he described as a fundamental principle of international maritime law.
Last week, Dominguez had also highlighted that more than 20,000 seafarers were stranded in the Gulf region aboard around 1,000 vessels.
He said his thoughts remain with those still at sea in high-risk areas, especially crews directly affected by instability in and around the Strait of Hormuz. He noted that many continue to work under highly difficult and uncertain conditions as tensions rise.
The IMO Secretary-General said he stands in solidarity with injured seafarers, with the families of those who have lost loved ones, and with all crews continuing to keep global shipping moving under extraordinarily difficult circumstances. He said their safety and welfare remain his highest priority.
