UN Moves to Free Ships Stranded near Strait of Hormuz

A large-scale operation is underway to evacuate hundreds of ships stranded in the Gulf after Iran and the United States reached a ceasefire agreement, the United Nations shipping agency said.

The International Maritime Organization (IMO) has begun contacting vessels to arrange their safe passage through the Strait of Hormuz. Hundreds of merchant ships carrying around 11,000 seafarers had been stranded in the region because of security risks linked to tensions between Washington and Tehran.

The IMO said it had secured the necessary safety guarantees and verified conditions for safe navigation.

“This large-scale operation will be carried out in close cooperation with Iran, Oman, all other coastal states in the region, the United States and the maritime industry”, IMO Secretary-General Arsenio Dominguez said.

Oman’s defense ministry said the evacuation would be gradual and controlled because of an elevated risk of collision. It said the existing Traffic Separation Scheme was not safe to use and that vessels would be contacted individually with an allocated transit day.

(Reuters, mja)