IMO Keeps 20,000 Seafarers in Gulf as Hormuz Restrictions Make Evacuation Too Risky
Updated
Updated · Reuters · Jun 1
IMO Keeps 20,000 Seafarers in Gulf as Hormuz Restrictions Make Evacuation Too Risky
3 articles · Updated · Reuters · Jun 1
Summary
20,000 seafarers remain aboard vessels stuck in the Gulf because conditions are still too unsafe for any evacuation despite a U.S.-Iran ceasefire, IMO Secretary-General Arsenio Dominguez said.
Iran's shifting restrictions in the Strait of Hormuz have blocked a reliable exit route, with Dominguez saying the IMO cannot act until a firmer ceasefire or broader agreement guarantees crews' safety.
11 seafarers have been killed in the Gulf since the U.S.-Israeli war with Iran began on Feb. 28, underscoring the danger as the IMO tries to negotiate a safe maritime corridor through talks involving Iran in Oman.
Traffic through Hormuz, which normally carries 20% of global daily crude oil and LNG supply, has slowed to only a handful of tankers while ship operators say some crews have already been stranded for three months.