About 20 000 seafarers are stranded in the Persian Gulf as some 3 200 vessels remain trapped west of the Strait of Hormuz, considered too risky for commercial traffic because of Iran’s threat to maritime movement in the waterway.
But a proposal tabled at a governing council meeting of the International Maritime Organization (IMO) in London on Wednesday could bring an end to 18 days of desperation – the period some seafarers have spent on anchored vessels in the Gulf.
Reuters reports that the proposal was submitted by Bahrain, Japan, Panama, Singapore and the United Arab Emirates, asking for "a framework such as a safe maritime corridor".
The United States has since announced its support to create a safe zone for seafarers out of the conflict zone.
According to the IMO, “The purpose of this framework would be to facilitate the safe evacuation of merchant ships.
“This measure aims to protect the lives of seafarers.”
IMO secretary-general Arsenio Dominguez has said it would serve to prevent any further loss of life of mariners following almost two weeks of conflict in which at least seven seafarers have died.
“They must not become victims of broader geopolitical tensions,” Dominguez said as he called for a de-escalation of hostilities to allow seafarers to safely leave the Gulf.
Since Wednesday’s meeting, the secretary-general of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, Mark Rutte, has said Nato is looking at what it can do assist.
In earlier announcements by Nato about the Middle East conflict, it has supported the general stance of the European Union – that it’s not interested in getting involved in a wider conflict on the side of the US and Israel.
The IMO’s seafarer evacuation intentions and Nato’s subsequent expressions in support of this development comes while Iran continues to offer safe passage through the Strait of Hormuz to some countries.
On March 14 it announced that “select internation traffic” would be allowed to transit through the choke point, mainly involving vessels serving Chinese and Indian commercial interests.
The same invitation has since been extended to South Africa.
The US, however, has warned that the Strait remains unsafe, despite Iran’s guarantees to the contrary.
