In brief
The United Nations specialized agency, the International Maritime Organization, announced that 25 sailors have lost their lives in the Strait of Hormuz since tensions between the United States and Iran escalated on February 28. It said 130 attacks on commercial vessels have been recorded, and that the latest victim was a sailor from the tanker Velos Sapphire on November 5. The organization’s Secretary‑General called for member states to prevent further unlawful acts that threaten seafarers’ safety and pledged new preventive measures.
At least 25 sailors have died in the Strait of Hormuz since the conflict between the United States and Iran began on February 28, the International Maritime Organization (IMO), the United Nations’ shipping agency headquartered in London, said on November 7.
The Strait of Hormuz, where a vast amount of the world’s oil passes through, has become a flashpoint as U.S. naval activity and Iranian defensive posturing intensified after the U.S. withdrew from the joint nuclear deal in early 2018.
According to the IMO, 130 attacks on commercial vessels have been recorded in the region since the hostilities started. The attacks have ranged from missile strikes to the detainment of ships, creating a climate of uncertainty for maritime traffic.
The most recent incident involved the tanker Velos Sapphire on November 5, when a sailor was killed in an attack in the Strait of Hormuz. The ship’s crew were left stranded in the Persian Gulf, with their ability to return home crippled.
IMO Secretary‑General Arsenio Dominguez warned that sailors continue to die and suffer serious injuries, to be left to fend for themselves, to lose the opportunity to return home, and to face shortages of essential supplies, including water, food, and medical care.
Dominguez appeared in the word “Sailors continue to die and suffer serious injuries, to be left to fend for themselves, to lose the opportunity to return home, and to face shortages of essential supplies, including water, food, and medical care.”
The IMO Council convened a five‑day meeting that concluded on November 6, during which member states urged all parties to refrain from unlawful actions that jeopardize the safety of seafarers and international shipping.
Dominguez pledged that the organization would develop new measures to prevent further loss of life and mitigate the humanitarian consequences of the crisis.
Background to the danger in the Strait of Hormuz stretches back decades, as the narrow waterway is critical for global energy trade and has been the site of numerous confrontations, most notably those during the 1979 Iranian Revolution and the 2006 U.S. and Iranian missile exchanges.
Open questions remain about how the IMO will enforce its calls, what concrete steps will be taken to protect merchant vessels, and how member states will collaborate to prevent further unlawful acts in a tense geopolitical landscape.
