6,000 sailors stranded near Strait of Hormuz as UN maritime chief warns against passage amid rising ship attacks and US-Iran tensions

There are about 6,000 stranded seamen near the Strait of Hormuz because of attacks on ships and the limitations imposed on navigation, the leader of the shipping wing of the United Nations has said. Arsenio Dominguez, the secretary-general of the International Maritime Organization (IMO), has said that the situation facing the shipping industry is critical and calling upon the ships to avoid the route until security is assured.

“There is a double blockade and too many vessels have been attacked, particularly in recent days,” Dominguez told Fox News Digital, warning that seafarers had continued to die during the conflict.

This is following reports of attacks on 24 ships in the area within about two weeks, as reported by Financial Times, which was cited by Fox News.


Also Read | Elizabeth Holmes’ Theranos documentary makes $15 million with fewer than 900 screens, outperforms ‘Melania’; here’s why it’s a hit

The Strait of Hormuz is a very important sea route that links the Persian Gulf with the Gulf of Oman and the entire Indian Ocean.

It is crucial for commercial shipping and energy transportation, and with the increased tensions, it brings up the issue of the safety of the crews on civilian ships in a military zone.

Thousands of seafarers face growing risks

The scale of the crisis is becoming increasingly clear in the number of workers unable to leave the region safely. Dominguez said approximately 6,000 seafarers had remained trapped since the conflict began on February 28.

The IMO had recorded 100 confirmed maritime incidents across the region as of October 9, with 24 seafarers killed since the fighting began, according to Fox News Digital.

Dominguez stressed that commercial sailors should not be treated as participants in the hostilities.

“Seafarers are not trained for combat, and they are not guilty of any conflicts that are happening around the world,” he said.

His statement is an illustration of how vulnerable seafarers are as a group.

The crews who work on cargo vessels should transport the goods rather than be involved in any form of fighting. However, the vessels are likely to be vulnerable to attacks, navigation bans, and volatile security situation.

According to Dominguez, the owners of the vessels should not expose the crew to such risks until there is adequate security.


This is the challenging situation which shipping companies have to deal with because further work will be dangerous for the staff but staying there will be increasingly risky for ships and people on board.

There was also information on Fox news that commercial ships could be attacked in the Strait of Hormuz.

Iran accuses US Forces of misusing emergency radio channel

The problems related to maritime security have been further worsened due to a conflict concerning the international emergency communications channel.

As was reported in a letter sent to the IMO on October 9, the US military ships, present in the Persian Gulf, were accused of using VHF Channel 16 reserved internationally for maritime distress, safety and calling communications repeatedly.

According to the letter obtained by Fox News Digital, the Iranian sailors were addressed in Persian in a threatening manner.


Tehran also claimed that some crews had been urged to abandon their vessels.


Iran described the alleged transmissions as an attempt to use a maritime safety channel for military intimidation and psychological pressure against civilian personnel.

However, the allegations have not been independently verified.

The letter referred to commercial vessels, shipping companies and maritime operators but did not provide recordings, transcripts or detailed accounts of the alleged exchanges, Fox News reported.

The US military rejected the suggestion that its enforcement operations were improperly conducted. In a statement to Fox News Digital, US Central Command said the naval blockade of Iranian ports was communicated professionally to international mariners.

CENTCOM further clarified that the ships that refused to cooperate were repeatedly warned and given instructions.

These conflicting versions raise unanswered issues regarding the alleged radio communications.

The contradictory versions also underscore the significance of having good communication protocols when there are civilian ships sailing in an area where there is a military conflict.

IMO considers whether maritime safety rules need changes

Dominguez said the IMO could examine whether additional technical measures or operational guidance were needed to prevent the misuse of maritime communications channels.

He did not announce a formal investigation into Iran’s allegations. Instead, he said the organization would consider the issue within its existing regulatory framework and through discussions among its member states.

The IMO chief noted that the organization had a responsibility to circulate concerns raised by member countries, including Iran, and ensure that those concerns could be discussed through established diplomatic and institutional channels.

If the evidence showed that existing rules needed clarification or improvement, the organization could consider changes to strengthen understanding of how emergency channels should be used, he told Fox News Digital.

Another concern is the reported increase in fraudulent ship registrations and vessels operating under false flags. Dominguez said some operators were taking greater risks to move cargo into and out of the region, contributing to the escalation in maritime danger.

Such practices can complicate efforts to establish a vessel’s identity, registration and accountability, making an already difficult security environment harder to manage.

In spite of the standoff, Dominguez noted that diplomatic channels of communication with Iran were open. He pointed out that communication was not sufficient for making final decisions amid the ongoing dispute.

As for thousands of seamen who are entangled in the conflict, the immediate concern is safety of their voyage.

As long as the problems are not resolved and any guarantees are not provided, one may conclude that the message of the IMO head is quite realistic – commercial crews continue to suffer from the consequences of the conflict, in which they have nothing to do.