UN begins evacuating 11,000 seafarers stranded at the Strait of Hormuz
Al Jazeera Staff
The UN International Maritime Organization has begun evacuating over 11,000 seafarers stranded at the Strait of Hormuz after a US-Iran ceasefire deal. The phased operation involves Iran, Oman, and other regional states, while ship traffic is slowly resuming.
The International Maritime Organization (IMO), a United Nations agency, has begun evacuating more than 11,000 seafarers stranded at the Strait of Hormuz following a memorandum of understanding between the United States and Iran aimed at ending a US-Israeli-led war against Iran launched in late February.
IMO Secretary-General Arsenio Dominguez said in a statement on July 1 that the evacuation campaign would proceed in close cooperation with Iran, Oman, other coastal states in the region, the United States, and the maritime industry. “We have received the necessary security guarantees and fully verified the conditions for safe maritime operations to support these activities,” he said.
Since the US-Israeli war against Iran erupted on February 28, Tehran has closed the strait, trapping vessels on this vital waterway. However, ship traffic has increased since the agreement was signed last week. Maritime intelligence firm Kpler recorded at least 36 commercial vessels transiting the strait on June 30, a record since the start of the conflict.
According to Oman’s Ministry of Defence, the IMO-planned evacuation procedure has been under discussion for months and will be conducted in phases. The ministry stressed that “due to the high risk of collision in the current environment, a gradual and controlled evacuation of vessels is needed.”
Denmark also announced on July 1 that it would join an international maritime mission set up by France and Britain to help reopen the strategic waterway.
Al Jazeera correspondent Tohid Asadi, reporting from the Strait of Hormuz, said US-Iran talks on a peace deal are showing encouraging signs. He cited a joint statement by Oman and Iran on discussing mechanisms to resume trade through the strait, calling it “a positive signal.” However, he noted: “It remains to be seen how long it will take for the strait to fully reopen, and until then, hundreds of ships remain stranded on both sides of Hormuz.”
In a related development, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, upon arriving in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) on July 1, stressed that Iran would not be allowed to collect tolls for passage through the strait under any final agreement with the United States. “This is an international waterway. No country is allowed to collect tolls on an international waterway,” he declared, expressing confidence that “all countries in the region will agree.”
Earlier, Iran’s lead negotiator, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, asserted that the Strait of Hormuz would “never” return to its pre-war status, despite the two adversaries agreeing to establish communication lines to keep the strait open.
