The Secretary-General of the International Maritime Organization (IMO), Arsenio Domínguez, denounced this Friday that about 6,000 sailors remain trapped in the Strait of Hormuz within the framework of the conflict unleashed last February 28 between the United States and Iran, which has left this strategic passage blocked.
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“Six months after the start of the conflict in the Middle East, the situation in the Strait of Hormuz remains unresolved. Thousands of sailors in the region continue to live and work under conditions of high risk and uncertainty. While some ships and their crews have managed to leave the Persian Gulf, up to 400 vessels, with about 6,000 sailors on board, have not been able to depart safely since the conflict began,” he stated in a communiqué.
The IMO Council approved a resolution last July calling for the guarantee of navigation rights and freedoms in accordance with International Law, as well as ensuring that transit through the strait is not “threatened” or “obstructed.”
Domínguez has urged the international community to redouble its “political will” and “cooperation” in this regard, asking them to collaborate with the organization and the entire UN system to “promote practical solutions that restore freedom of navigation through the strait.”
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“The deterioration of maritime security worldwide, from the Black Sea to the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden, harms us all. However, it is especially distressing for the thousands of innocent sailors affected,” he concluded.
To date, the IMO has confirmed at least 70 attacks against international vessels, resulting in 19 sailors dead, in a context of renewed tensions between the parties since the 60-day deadline given to reach a comprehensive agreement to end hostilities expired.
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