The International Maritime Organization (IMO) has suspended the evacuation plan for the approximately 8,000 seafarers stranded for months in the Strait of Hormuz until the necessary security guarantees are provided. Thousands of seafarers, effectively trapped on commercial ships turned into "floating prisons", await rescue amid shortages of food, drinking water and medicine.
According to data published on the IMO website, 136 vessels have so far been removed from the area under the evacuation plan and about 2,900 seafarers rescued. Some seafarers have been trapped under blockade in the Strait of Hormuz for more than four months. Nevertheless, approximately 8,000 seafarers still remain stranded in the area.
The organization launched the three-day evacuation operation on June 23, roughly a week after the memorandum of understanding between the US and Iran was signed on June 17. The memorandum was seen as an important step towards ending the war that began on February 28 and led to Tehran closing the Strait of Hormuz.
However, according to Bloomberg, citing IMO spokesperson Natasha Brown, the evacuation plan has been temporarily halted until security guarantees are received from all parties. The decision followed an attack on a vessel in the Gulf of Oman after it passed through the Strait of Hormuz. The attacked ship was sailing outside the evacuation framework organized and announced to all ships by the IMO on its website.
Seafarers stranded in the region have been trying to survive under extremely harsh conditions for at least three months. Some seafarers who spoke to Bloomberg said they had to drastically ration food and water and were dependent on external aid for fuel and medical supplies. In particular, serious violations of seafarers' basic rights are reported on vessels owned by small companies. Moreover, many seafarers' employment contracts are about to expire, yet crew changes have become nearly impossible due to the halt in navigation and security risks.
The crisis has been deepened by the visa policies of some Gulf states. According to Bloomberg, Iraq and Kuwait stopped issuing short-term visas as the security situation deteriorated. This decision prevents seafarers wishing to disembark and return home from leaving their ships.
IMO Secretary-General Arsenio Dominguez confirmed in a statement that at least 14 seafarers have lost their lives and more than 40 merchant ships have been attacked as a result of the conflict. While progress has been made in indirect negotiations between the US and Iran held in Doha with Qatari and Pakistani mediation, the path to a final ceasefire agreement still appears long. As each day away from their families adds to the psychological burden, the seafarers fear a fresh flare-up of the conflict.
