20,000 seafarers, 15,000 passengers stuck in Gulf: UN agency

LONDON: The UN’s International Maritime Organization told AFP on Thursday that around 20,000 seafarers and 15,000 cruise ship passengers are stuck in the Gulf because of the Middle East war.

The shipping regulator’s secretary general Arsenio Dominguez said that the “IMO is ready to work with all stakeholders to help ensure the safety and well-being of the seafarers affected”.

Since war erupted on Saturday, the IMO has recorded seven incidents involving ships in the region that have resulted in two deaths and another seven people wounded.

“Beyond the economic impact of these alarming attacks, it is a humanitarian issue. No attack on innocent seafarers is ever justified,” Dominguez told AFP.

“I reiterate my call for all shipping companies to exercise maximum caution when operating in the affected region,” he added.

Iran has effectively shut down the Strait of Hormuz, through which a fifth of the world’s crude and considerable supplies of liquefied natural gas travel.

Several shipping groups, including Danish shipping giant Maersk, have suspended bookings in the Gulf.

Iran’s Revolutionary Guards on Wednesday claimed “complete control” of the Strait, with reports of additional vessels coming under attack.

Energy intelligence firm Kpler said oil tanker transits through the Strait had dropped by 90 percent from last week.

With energy prices already spiking, US President Donald Trump said Tuesday that the US Navy was ready to escort oil tankers through the crucial shipping route.