The International Maritime Organization (IMO) has suspended the evacuation plan for around 8,000 sailors who have been stranded for months in the Strait of Hormuz until the necessary security guarantees are provided. Thousands of sailors, whose commercial ships have effectively become 'floating prisons,' are awaiting rescue amid shortages of food, drinking water, and medicine.
Data published on the IMO's website shows that 136 ships have been removed from the area under the evacuation plan so far and about 2,900 sailors have been rescued. Some sailors have been under blockade in the Strait of Hormuz for more than four months. Despite this, around 8,000 sailors are still stranded in the region.
The organization launched the three-day evacuation operation on June 23, about a week after the US and Iran signed a memorandum of understanding on June 17. The memorandum was seen as a significant step toward ending the war that began on February 28 and prompted Tehran to close the Strait of Hormuz.
However, Bloomberg reported that IMO spokesperson Natasha Brown stated the evacuation plan was temporarily halted until the necessary security guarantees are obtained from all parties. The decision followed an attack on a ship in the Gulf of Oman after it had passed through the Strait of Hormuz. The ship that was attacked was traveling outside the evacuation framework organized and announced by the IMO on its website to all ships.
The sailors stranded in the region have been struggling to survive under extremely difficult conditions for at least three months. Some sailors who spoke to Bloomberg said they have had to drastically ration food and water and are dependent on external assistance for fuel and medical supplies. Reports indicate that sailors' basic rights are being severely violated, especially on ships owned by small companies. Additionally, many sailors' employment contracts are about to expire, but due to the halt in navigation and security risks, crew changes have become nearly impossible.
The crisis has been further compounded by the visa policies of some Gulf states. Bloomberg's report indicated that Iraq and Kuwait have stopped issuing short-term visas due to the deteriorating security situation. This decision prevents sailors who want to disembark and return to their countries from leaving their ships.
IMO President Arsenio Dominguez confirmed in a statement that at least 14 sailors have been killed and more than 40 commercial ships have been attacked as a result of the conflict. Although progress has been made in indirect talks between the US and Iran in Doha, mediated by Qatar and Pakistan, the road to a final ceasefire agreement still appears long. As the psychological toll of each day spent far from their families grows heavier, the sailors fear the conflict could flare up again.
