UN to evacuate 11,000 stranded sailors from Strait of Hormuz
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Secretary of State Marco Rubio in Abu Dhabi on Tuesday. Photo: Eric Lee/POOL/AFP via Getty Images
The UN's International Maritime Organization will evacuate more than 11,000 sailors stranded in the Strait of Hormuz during the U.S.-Iran war, the agency said Tuesday.
Why it matters: The operation underscores how the U.S.-Iran war disrupted a critical global shipping route and left thousands of civilian seafarers stuck.
The big picture: IMO Secretary-General Arsenio Dominguez said 14 seafarers "lost their lives during this conflict" and outlined a "large-scale operation" involving the U.S., Iran, Oman and other parties.
- His comments came as Secretary of State Marco Rubio was asked during a visit to the UAE whether the U.S. could guarantee freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz, amid reports that Iran has been charging tolls on tankers.
- "It's an international waterway," Rubio said. "No country is allowed to charge tolls or fees on an international waterway."
State of play: The IMO estimates up to 600 ships are stranded in the region.
- Dominguez said in a statement that the UN had safety guarantees and had "thoroughly verified the conditions for safe navigation" to support the evacuation mission.
- "After months of hardship and distress for thousands of innocent seafarers, and negative impact for the whole world, I welcome with deep satisfaction the peace agreement concluded between the United States and Iran, marking a decisive step towards restoring maritime security and bringing to an end the unacceptable attacks against civilian shipping," he said.
Meanwhile, Maritime expert Capt. Kees Buckens tells Axios that ships are already returning to the Strait to collect oil and transport it out again.
Between the lines: The formal notification from the Omani Government "shows a well-organized plan" to allow the ships to safely transit the Strait, said Buckens, of the New Zealand Maritime School at Manukau Institute of Technology.
- It provides assurances to vessels that they can "proceed with the necessary caution to the designated waiting area and readying for the transit," according to Buckens, who has previously sailed tankers through the Strait.
- He doesn't expect any tolls to slow down the evacuation operation.
- Any mines remaining in the Strait were a concern, but Oman's assurances should leave seafarers "fairly confident that following that route it should be okay to sail through," Buckens said.
What's next: The evacuation operation is expected to begin once ships are cleared to transit designated routes through the Strait under the agreed safety framework.
