2,500 seafarers evacuated from Strait of Hormuz since June 23: IMO
London, June 26
Nearly 2,500 seafarers aboard 115 vessels have been evacuated from the Strait of Hormuz since the International Maritime Organisation launched an evacuation operation for stranded seafarers earlier this week, IMO Secretary-General Arsenio Dominguez said on Friday.
Speaking at an online press conference, Dominguez said the preliminary figures covered the first three-and-a-half days of the evacuation operation.
The IMO on Tuesday announced the evacuation framework, recommending the use of a northern route communicated by Iran and a southern route communicated by Oman, Xinhua news agency reported.
On Thursday, however, the UN maritime body suspended the evacuation after a vessel was attacked in the Gulf of Oman, saying it needed to further assess whether the security guarantees underpinning the operation remained in place.
Shipping data showed that some vessels continued to transit the Strait of Hormuz after the suspension of the IMO operation.
Responding to a question from Xinhua, Dominguez said Iran was still maintaining operations on the northern route, while the United States continued to assist shipping on the southern route.
"What is important for the vessels is to carry out the risk assessment before they make any final decision," he said, urging shipowners and operators to carefully assess the risks.
He added that the IMO would only resume the evacuation operation once it had sufficient assurances that commercial vessels would not come under attack.
Iran's Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi on Friday underlined his country's position on maritime navigation rules and transit arrangements in the Strait of Hormuz.
"Safe passage through the Strait of Hormuz under vague arrangements, parallel routes, or decision-making outside Iran's considerations as the coastal state is not guaranteed," Gharibabadi wrote on X.
"Any valid framework must be based on coordination with Iran and the provisions of Paragraph 5 of the Islamabad memorandum of understanding. Otherwise, the result will be the suspension of the designated parallel route," he added.
— IANS
Reader Comments
Nearly 2500 people evacuated in 3 days is commendable but the suspension after one attack shows how fragile these agreements are. Iran's statement about needing coordination with them is fair—you can't just bypass a coastal state and expect safety. India's diplomatic channels should talk to all sides.
IMO suspending the operation after one attack seems reactive. The whole point of an evacuation framework is to have redundancy. Plus, Iran's deputy minister's warning about "vague arrangements" is spot on—you can't have parallel routes without clear rules. Our sailors' lives depend on getting this right. 🚢
Interesting that the US is assisting on the southern route while Iran works the northern one. But with Iran insisting on being the primary coordinator, this could get messy. For India, we've got thousands of seafarers worldwide—hope our government is actively working behind the scenes to secure their safety.
I feel for the seafarers and their families at home, especially those from coastal India. The risk assessment recommendation by IMO is sensible but must be backed by real security. Iran's concern about being bypassed is understandable given geopolitical tensions. Let's hope diplomacy prevails—too many livelihoods at stake. 🙏
My criticism is that IMO should have anticipated these security challenges before launching the operation. The attack in the Gulf of Oman was predictable given regional tensions. That said, kudos for the 2500 evacuated so far. India's maritime interests mean we need a more robust role in such crises.
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