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The United Nations’ International Maritime Organisation (IMO) has revealed that around 20,000 seafarers and 15,000 cruise ship passengers are stuck in the Gulf as the Middle East crisis intensifies.
The IMO’s Secretary General, Arsenio Dominguez, told AFP that the shipping regulator is ready to work with all stakeholders to ensure the safety and well-being of the stranded seafarers.
“Beyond the economic impact of these alarming attacks, it is a humanitarian issue. No attack on innocent seafarers is ever justified,” Dominguez said.
“I reiterate my call for all shipping companies to exercise maximum caution when operating in the affected region.”
Following Saturday’s Israel and the United States joint strike against Iran, the Middle Eastern country ordered ships not to pass the Strait of Hormuz. Iran’s Revolutionary Guards claimed “complete control” of the Strait, through which a fifth of the world’s crude and considerable supplies of liquefied natural gas travel.
According to the IMO, seven incidents involving ships in the region that have resulted in two deaths and another seven people wounded have been recorded.
The crisis in the Middle East has triggered a spike in global crude oil prices and higher petroleum prices. South Africa increases of between 20c and 65c across all fuel types starting Wednesday.
