IMO Warns Evacuating Thousands of Seafarers from Gulf Remains Risky

Arsenio Dominguez, Secretary-General of the United Nations' International Maritime Organization (IMO), stated that despite the current ceasefire between the United States and Iran, evacuating thousands of seafarers stranded in the Gulf continues to be a hazardous operation.

Speaking to Reuters ahead of the Poseidonia exhibition in Athens, Dominguez emphasized that evacuations cannot proceed unless the root causes are addressed and a final agreement, full ceasefire, or comprehensive accord among the conflicting parties is reached.

Approximately 20,000 seafarers remain aboard vessels immobilized in the Gulf, where Iran enforces movement restrictions through the Strait of Hormuz.

Dominguez described any evacuation attempts under the present conditions as highly risky due to the absence of safety guarantees for those involved.

According to IMO data, 11 seafarers have lost their lives in the Gulf since the onset of the US-Israeli war against Iran on February 28.

He also noted that the organization is working to establish a secure maritime route to facilitate ship departures, including recent discussions with Iranian stakeholders in Oman over the past weeks.

Dominguez added, "We receive notifications that the Strait of Hormuz is open, but after a few hours it is closed again. We cannot take risks until we have a safer situation."

Traffic through the strait has slowed considerably; prior to the war, it typically carried about 20 percent of the world’s daily crude oil and liquefied natural gas supplies, but now only a few tankers transit the passage.