The International Maritime Organization is preparing plans to evacuate thousands of sailors and ships stranded in the Strait of Hormuz amid tensions between Iran, Israel and the US.
The International Maritime Organization (IMO) is working on plans to evacuate ships and their crews stranded in the Strait of Hormuz following Israeli and US attacks on Iran. At the end of the two-day extraordinary meeting of the IMO, its Secretary General Arsenio Dominguez announced this, reports TASR with reference to the DPA agency.
According to him, the first point of contact are the countries in the Persian Gulf region, with which negotiations must be started on the creation of an evacuation route.
Challenges to evacuate ships
“It’s not about getting all the ships out in one day. We’re talking about the Strait of Hormuz, which is about 30 kilometers wide (for shipping),” Dominguez said.
“Safety is the highest priority and with any measures we put in place, we do not want to increase the risk to seafarers,” Dominguez added, adding that discussions are also ongoing with Iran, which is an IMO member.
Traffic blockade
According to the organization, around 20,000 sailors and almost 2,000 ships are stranded in the region. Traffic in the Strait of Hormuz, an important route for transporting oil and liquefied gas, has practically stopped due to the war and the threat of Iranian attacks.
