IMO Says 400 Ships and 6,000 Seafarers Still Cannot Leave the Persian Gulf

Up to 400 ships carrying around 6,000 seafarers have been unable to leave the Persian Gulf safely since the conflict began, the International Maritime Organization said in a statement issued on 28 August, six months into the war.

"While some ships and their crews have been able to leave the Persian Gulf, up to 400 ships carrying around 6,000 seafarers have been unable to depart safely since the conflict began," stated Secretary-General Arsenio Dominguez, describing the Strait of Hormuz crisis as unresolved and calling for renewed political will.

The organisation ran an evacuation effort over four days in late June, between the 23rd and the 26th, which moved approximately 136 ships and 2,900 seafarers out of the Gulf before renewed attacks forced a suspension. Its running count stands at 70 confirmed incidents as of 26 August, with 19 confirmed seafarer deaths. It has not estimated how many of the roughly 20,000 seafarers trapped at the outset have been injured, and it disputes accounts of free movement.

United States Central Command has taken a different position, stating that its forces have meticulously and quietly cleared the mines from the Strait and that the internationally recognised transit routes are now free of them. Officials dismissed figures of 80 to 150 Iranian mines as outdated, and said US strikes destroyed more than 90 percent of an estimated inventory of around 8,000. The Joint Maritime Information Center continues to warn of drifting or uncharted mines near the traffic separation scheme.

American forces have assisted nearly 1,500 commercial vessels over recent months and say they have helped move 750 million barrels of crude out of the Gulf. Over the past week they redirected 75 commercial vessels, disabled three and boarded two to enforce the blockade.

Tracking data shows a slow trickle of departures and, more tellingly, very few ships returning for another cargo. Much of the movement has come through shuttle operations, with owners unwilling to send their larger units back through the Strait once they are clear of it. Iran has attacked tankers in the southern Omani channel and claims to have turned back at least one LPG carrier attempting to enter.

An end to the blockade remains one of Iran's stated conditions for reopening the Strait. Officials say a list of conditions is being prepared in response to meetings with mediators and senior Qatari officials, and claim an understanding with Oman on a temporary arrangement that would split fees and responsibilities for the Strait.