The UN's maritime agency has said that since Tuesday, about 115 vessels and 2,500 seafarers have been evacuated from the Strait of Hormuz.
“We have been able to evacuate at least 115 vessels, in the last three and a half days, representing around 2,500 seafarers that have now safely left the Strait of Hormuz,” said Arsenio Dominguez, secretary-general of the International Maritime Organization, on Friday.
Dominguez cautioned that the numbers he provided “are not completely final, because I still need some time to verify any transits that have been taking place this morning.”
Among those evacuated were all Turkish-owned ships that had been waiting in the region, according to Turkish Transport and Infrastructure Minister Abdulkadir Uraloglu.
He said 15 vessels carrying a total of 99 Turkish personnel had safely departed the area as of June 26.
Dominguez said that efforts are continuing to re-initiate the evacuation of stranded seafarers after operations were paused on Thursday due to an attack on a vessel.
The secretary-general said that “as soon as” he gets further confirmation that vessels would not be targeted and that the flow of trade will continue, he is “ready to re-initiate the process of evacuation.”
He said that Iran sent messages warning that using an “unauthorised corridor” would result in “legal sanctions,” adding that he did not know what those sanctions actually were.
The IMO said on Thursday that it had paused its evacuation plan for stranded seafarers in the Strait of Hormuz following an attack on a vessel in the Gulf of Oman.
“I have been informed of an attack today in the Gulf of Oman. Seafarer safety remains paramount,” Dominguez said on Thursday on the US social media platform X.
“To ensure a coordinated approach and navigational safety, the IMO evacuation plan will be paused until further clarity,” he added.
Earlier on Thursday, the UK Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) centre said a cargo vessel was hit by an unknown projectile off Oman, causing damage to the ship’s bridge. No casualties or environmental damage were reported.
