THE International Maritime Organization (IMO) urged its member states to support diplomatic efforts to secure the evacuation of around 20,000 seafarers stranded in the Persian Gulf and enable humanitarian corridors for urgent assistance.
IMO Secretary General Arsenio Dominguez emphasized the need for de-escalation and operational maritime solutions rather than purely military approaches.
“Fragmented responses are no longer sufficient to resolve this crisis. What is urgently required is diplomatic engagement, practical and neutral solutions, and coordinated international action,” he said.
The appeal was made following a virtual meeting of Foreign Ministers from more than 40 countries hosted by the United Kingdom’s Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office to discuss the situation in the Strait of Hormuz.
The Strait of Hormuz was shut down by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps early in March, effectively closing the waterway to international navigation and trapping oil tankers and seafarers.
Since the beginning of the conflict between Israel and Iran on Feb. 28, 2026, IMO has confirmed 21 attacks on commercial shipping resulting in the deaths of 10 seafarers with several injured. Around 20,000 seafarers remain aboard vessels in the Persian Gulf, facing dwindling supplies, fatigue, and severe psychological stress.
“IMO is advancing a maritime evacuation framework built on coastal state cooperation, security guarantees and operational coordination, with the clear objective of releasing stranded vessels, enabling safe crew rotations and preventing an environmental disaster.”
Dominguez also called on all parties to respect the rights and freedoms of navigation and stressed the paramount importance of the safety and well-being of seafarers.
IMO is a member of a new dedicated Task Force established by the UN secretary-general to work on technical mechanisms specifically designed to meet humanitarian needs in the Strait of Hormuz.
The task force is led by Under-Secretary-General Jorge Moreira da Silva, executive director of United Nations Office for Project Services (Unops), and includes representatives from the UN Conference on Trade and Development (Unctad), the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) and others, alongside IMO.
