The Media Line: IMO Chief Calls for Action To Restore Navigation Through Hormuz  

IMO Chief Calls for Action To Restore Navigation Through Hormuz  

By The Media Line Staff  

International Maritime Organization (IMO) Secretary-General Arsenio Dominguez called for renewed international cooperation and practical measures to restore freedom of navigation through the Strait of Hormuz, where up to 400 ships carrying around 6,000 seafarers remain unable to leave the Persian Gulf safely six months after the Middle East conflict began.  

Thousands of seafarers have been stranded in the Persian Gulf since the conflict began on Feb. 28. The IMO has verified at least 70 attacks on international shipping during that period, in which 19 seafarers were killed.  

“Six months since the conflict in the Middle East began, the situation in the Strait of Hormuz is unresolved,” Dominguez said.  

While some vessels and crews have managed to leave the Persian Gulf, thousands remain exposed to heightened risks and uncertainty, he said.  

The disruption has also affected international supply chains carrying fuels, fertilizers and other commodities, with consequences for economies and communities worldwide.  

In July, the IMO Council adopted a resolution calling for the protection of vital shipping routes and a coordinated, sustainable restoration of unhindered navigation through the Strait of Hormuz.  

The council reaffirmed that transit passage through straits used for international navigation “must not be threatened, impeded, denied, hampered, impaired or suspended.”  

“Renewed political will and cooperation is needed to deliver on this commitment,” Dominguez said.  

He called on IMO member states and the shipping industry to cooperate with the organization and the broader United Nations system on measures to reopen the route safely.  

“I call on all Member States and the shipping industry to work together with IMO and the wider United Nations system to advance practical solutions to restore the freedom of navigation through the Strait,” Dominguez said.  

Dominguez also cited deteriorating maritime security in the Black Sea, Red Sea, and Gulf of Aden, saying seafarers have borne a particularly heavy burden due to growing threats to international shipping.  

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