UN: ‘No precedent’ for seafarers caught in war zone in post-WW2 era in International Shipping News 02/04/2026 The seafarers are working on some 2,000 ships including oil and gas tankers, bulk carriers, cargo ships as well as six tourist cruise liners. The ships are trapped in the Persian Gulf and are unable to pass through the narrow strait owing to the ongoing war in the Middle East. Iran borders the strait on its northern side and has said it will only allow passage to “non-hostile” ships. Prior to the conflict, around 150 vessels passed through the waterway every day, but now only four or five do so. On Monday, two Chinese-flagged cargo ships had reportedly embarked on the four-to-six-hour journey through the strait and into the Gulf of Oman and safer waters outside the war zone. Attacks on ships Since the beginning of the conflict a month ago, there have been 19 attacks on vessels in the strait, according to the UN’s International Maritime Organization (IMO) in London. © IMO Crew members take a break on a ship. (file) Ten seafarers have been killed and eight injured since the Israeli-US bombing of Iran began, sparking Iranian strikes across the Gulf. On Tuesday, a fully loaded oil tanker was struck off the coast of Dubai, probably by an armed drone. It remains unclear why those 19 ships were specifically targeted. There appear to have been fewer attacks in the past week, amid increased diplomatic moves to resolve the crisis. Seafarer safety The IMO, which is a specialized agency of the United Nations responsible for measures to improve the safety and security of international shipping, is focused on ensuring the evacuation and safety of the 20,000 seafarers. “There is no precedent for the stranding of so many seafarers in the modern age,” said Damien Chevallier, Director of the organization’s Maritime Safety Division. “IMO has called on all parties to the conflict to deescalate the attacks so that the seafarers can be evacuated to safety.” “They have been working in an active war zone for a month,” said Mr. Chevallier. “It is a very scary situation and one can only imagine the psychological stress they are under.” The International Transport Workers’ Federation, an IMO partner which represents seafarers, said it had received more than 1,000 emails from crew stranded on ships voicing concern about on-board conditions and asking for repatriation to their home countries. IMO/Pankaj Gautham A cargo vessel sails in the open seas. (file) “It might be possible to relieve those seafarers by replacing them with others as a ship obviously needs to a crew to carry on operating, but the companies running those vessels would need to find volunteers,” said Mr. Chevallier. The best solution is for those vessels to be able to pass to safety through the Strait of Hormuz, but that would require a cessation of hostilities,” he added. Negotiating safe passage The 2,000 vessels in the Persian Gulf are being resupplied with food, water and fuel by companies operating out of Saudi Arabia and Oman. The Saudi authorities have worked with IMO to provide information to the industry about how to contact those resupply companies. It is not necessarily safer for those ships to remain in port, so the vessels are moving around the Gulf in search of secure locations where they can wait out the conflict, following the protocols of the shipping companies that own them. As the IMO continues to engage with a range of interlocutors towards the evacuation of seafarers, t