The IMO has stated that it is far too risky to evacuate the trapped seafarers in the Persian Gulf at this time. They confirmed that 11 seafarers have died aboard ships during the conflict so far. Shipowners, agents and seafarers families are desperate to evacuate the 20000 or so people and their ships but until the situation is calm enough and the Strait of Hormuz can be secured there will be an impasse.
Despite the current ceasefire between the United States and Iran, it remains too risky to move the thousands of sailors stuck in the Persian Gulf, the head of the UN's shipping agency said.
"We will not be able to activate anything until the root causes are addressed and there is more of a final agreement, a ceasefire, or complete agreement, between the parties involved in the conflict," Arsenio Dominguez, secretary-general of the International Maritime Organisation, told Reuters on Sunday ahead of the start of the Posidonia shipping industry week in Athens.
There are an estimated 20,000 seafarers aboard vessels stuck in the gulf as Iran imposes restrictions on movements through the Strait of Hormuz.
"In the meantime, it's going to be too risky to take any actions in moving the seafarers because there are no guarantees on their safety," Dominguez said.
Eleven seafarers have been killed in the gulf since the US-Israeli war with Iran began on February 28, according to IMO data.
The IMO has been trying to arrange a safe maritime corridor to enable vessels to exit, including discussions with parties involving Iran in Oman in recent weeks, Dominguez said.
"You get announcements that the Strait of Hormuz is open, and then a few hours later, the Strait of Hormuz is closed. We can't take the risk until we have something more secure," he said.
More on this :
Ceasefire not enough to safely move sailors out of Persian Gulf, IMO chief says (Baird Maritime / Reuters - June 1, 2026)
As if to reinforce the lack of safety, an MSC containership, called the MSC Sariska, has been holed off Umm Qasr, Iraq
A video is being circulated by a pro-Iranian Iraqi media outlet showing an MSC containership holed above the waterline. Alsumaria News is blaming the hole on a mechanical failure, while the report supplied to UK Maritime Trade Operations says the explosion happened following a hit from an unknown projectile on the starboard side.
More on this :
Video: MSC Boxship Holed After Reports of Explosion off Iraq (Maritime Executive - June 1, 2026)
MSC Sariska's current AIS plot places her in the Umm Qasr anchorage close to the Riviera I accommodation block (blue spot) associated with the Basra oil field installation.
