The head of the International Maritime Organization (IMO) has said that a significant number of seafarers remain stranded aboard vessels around the Strait of Hormuz, as he called the situation “unacceptable” for a civilian workforce.
IMO Secretary-General Arsenio Dominguez said on Wednesday the situation in the strategic shipping channel remains “deeply concerning.”
“A significant number of seafarers are now stranded on board vessels unable to operate normally or to leave the region, effectively confined for prolonged periods in a high-risk environment,” Dominguez said at the opening of the 111th session of the Maritime Safety Committee in London.
He said seafarers are facing “sustained security threats and severe psychological pressure,” while the immobilisation of ships in and around the Gulf also carries serious consequences for global trade, energy supply and economic stability.
“The longer this situation persists, the greater the risk of a serious maritime incident,” he added.
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Dominguez stressed that freedom of navigation must be respected and seafarers and merchant vessels “must never become collateral victims of geopolitical tensions.”
The IMO chief said he was mandated to facilitate work aimed at enabling maritime corridors for the safe evacuation of seafarers, should the situation require it.
