IMO TO OPEN TEMPORARY HORMUZ PASSAGE – The IMO announced an evacuation plan for more than 11,000 seafarers
The International Maritime Organization (IMO) on Tuesday announced an evacuation plan for more than 11,000 seafarers still stranded in the Strait of Hormuz.
The IMO has secured the necessary safety guarantees and verified safe navigation conditions to support the evacuation operation, IMO Secretary-General Arsenio Dominguez said in a statement.
The operation follows the signing of a memorandum of understanding between Iran and the United States, and will be carried out in close cooperation with Iran, Oman, other countries in the region, and the international maritime industry, Dominguez said.
Dominguez welcomed the peace agreement between Iran and the United States, saying it marks a decisive step toward restoring maritime security and ending attacks against civilian shipping, after months of conflict that have caused hardship for thousands of seafarers and disrupted global trade.
Moreover, Dominguez reaffirmed the organization’s commitment to ensuring the safety of seafarers and the continuity of global trade
In the early hours of Wednesday, Oman issued a statement saying that, in view of its responsibility for the Strait of Hormuz and the waterway’s significance to the global economy, and on the basis of observing international law and the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea, it has coordinated with the IMO to open a temporary sea lane for all vessels through the strait, in light of the outcomes of U.S.-Iran negotiations and mediation efforts.
