The war between the United States and Iran has entered its sixth month, with hundreds of ships and thousands of seafarers still unable to safely leave the Arabian Gulf.
The conflict, which began on 28 February, initially left around 1,000 vessels stranded in the Gulf, with an estimated 20,000 crew members on board, as Iran moved to take control of the Strait of Hormuz and targeted commercial shipping.
Figures compiled by the International Maritime Organization (IMO) show that at least 70 commercial vessels have been attacked in the region since the conflict began, resulting in the deaths of 19 seafarers.
In a statement issued on 28 August, IMO Secretary-General Arsenio Dominguez said the situation in the Strait of Hormuz remained unresolved six months after the conflict began.
“Thousands of seafarers in the region continue to live and work under conditions of heightened risk and uncertainty,” Dominguez said.
While some vessels and their crews have managed to leave the Persian Gulf, the IMO estimates that up to 400 ships carrying around 6,000 seafarers have been unable to depart safely since the beginning of the conflict.
Evacuation efforts suspended after vessel attack
An IMO-backed safe evacuation plan was briefly put into operation between 24 and 26 June. The initiative was subsequently suspended after Iran struck the Singapore-flagged container ship Ever Lovely in the Strait of Hormuz.
The IMO has continued to push for the restoration of safe and unrestricted maritime transit through the strategic waterway.
In July, the IMO Council adopted a resolution focused on protecting vital shipping lanes. The resolution reaffirmed that the right of transit passage through straits used for international navigation must not be threatened, impeded, denied, hampered, impaired or suspended.
It also called for a coordinated and sustainable return to unhindered navigation through the Strait of Hormuz.
Despite those efforts, normal traffic has yet to resume. At least two vessels were attacked this week alone, while shipping volumes through the waterway remain significantly below normal levels.
Iran continues to target ships attempting to transit the Strait without its authorisation, further complicating efforts to restore regular commercial maritime traffic.
IMO calls for practical solutions
With thousands of seafarers still exposed to prolonged uncertainty and heightened security risks, the IMO is urging governments and the shipping industry to work together on a way forward.
“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 Secretary-General said.
The continued disruption in one of the world’s most strategically important shipping routes is leaving hundreds of vessels and thousands of crew members waiting for a safe opportunity to depart, six months after the conflict began.
