UN shipping agency begins evacuation plan for 11,000 stranded seafarers through Strait of Hormuz

Some ‌115 vessels and around 2,500 seafarers were able to sail through ‌the ⁠strait before evacuations were paused, IMO Secretary-General Arsenio Dominguez ⁠told a virtual news conference

Ships have begun sailing through the Strait of Hormuz under a new scheme by the U.N.’s shipping agency to evacuate vessels trapped there by the conflict, a spokesperson said on Wednesday. The initiative, which has taken months to conclude, will enable hundreds of ships with some 11,000 seafarers stranded in the Gulf to sail through […]

The International Maritime Organization said the initiative would enable hundreds of ships carrying some 11,000 seafarers to sail through Hormuz.

LONDON — Ships have already sailed through the Strait of Hormuz under a newly launched evacuation scheme by the U.N's shipping agency, a spokesperson said on Wednesday. "Ships have already begun to pass under the plan," a spokesperson with the U.N's International Maritime Organization (IMO) said, declining to provide any details on the vessels that had crossed. At least two dry bulk ships and one cargo ship have sailed through Hormuz under the scheme in past 12 hours, London Stock Exchange (LSEG) ship tracking data showed on Wednesday. At least 35 other commercial ships, mainly dry bulk, cargo and container vessels were preparing to sail through the strait, according to LSEG and MarineTraffic ship tracking data based on Reuters analysis of ship movements. The scheme, which has taken months to conclude, will enable hundreds of ships with some 11,000 seafarers stranded in the Gulf to sail through Hormuz, the IMO said on Tuesday.

As the UN International Maritime Organization (IMO) released more details of its plan to evacuate more than 11,000 seafarers stranded in the Strait of Hormuz, one mariner caught up in the emergency has described the ever-present fear of coming under attack.

Ships sailing through Hormuz under UN evacuation scheme Ships have already sailed through the Strait of Hormuz under a newly launched evacuation scheme by the UN's shipping agency, a spokesperson said on Wednesday. "Ships have already begun to pass under the plan," a spokesperson with the UN's International Maritime Organization (IMO) said, declining to provide any details on the vessels that had crossed. At least two dry bulk ships and one cargo ship have sailed through Hormuz under the scheme in the past 12 hours, LSEG ship tracking data showed on Wednesday. At least 35 other commercial ships, mainly dry bulk, cargo and container vessels were preparing to sail through the strait, according to LSEG and MarineTraffic ship tracking data based on Reuters analysis of ship movements. The scheme, which has taken months to conclude, will enable hundreds of ships with some 11,000 seafarers stranded in the Gulf to sail through Hormuz, the IMO said on Tuesday.

An evacuation plan to enable hundreds of ships with some 11,000 seafarers stranded in the Gulf to sail through the Strait of Hormuz is underway after Iran and the US reached a ceasefire deal, the United Nations' shipping ⁠agency said on Tuesday. However, the long-term status of the waterway remains unclear - Iran wants a toll system implemented in the strait while the US is vehemently against this idea.

While the waterway had effectively been blocked since the war began on February 28, maritime traffic has increased over the past week amid peace talks.

The International Maritime Organisation (IMO) and Oman have opened temporary sea lanes through the Strait of Hormuz as part of a controlled plan to move stranded commercial ships and more than 11,000 seafarers out of the Persian Gulf.  The operation follows the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between Iran and the US, after months of disruption to one of the world’s […]

An evacuation plan to enable hundreds of ships to sail through the Strait of Hormuz is being enacted, according to the UN's International Maritime Organization.

The UN is actively facilitating the evacuation of approximately 11,000 sailors from the Strait of Hormuz, a critical move emerging from a recent US-Iran peace accord. While maritime activities begin to resume, disputes linger regarding the future management and potential tariffs of the strait's usage. The US upholds its position of global navigation rights, contrasting with Iran's indication that it may resist returning to pre-conflict norms, signaling future negotiations ahead.

The UN's maritime agency launched an operation to evacuate more than 11,000 sailors stranded in the Strait of Hormuz.

UN Maritime Agency Initiates Plan To Clear Hormuz Traffic: Hundreds Of Vessels, 11K Sailors The Strait of Hormuz is supposed to be 'open' now, based on the MoU framework, though things are expected to be extremely slow moving, despite signs of life in terms of an increased transit flow becoming evident only this week. The saga of just how hundreds of ships will traverse is developing and tenuous: "The UN's International Maritime Organization says it will begin evacuating more than 11,000 sailors stranded in the Gulf due to the Middle East war," per AFP. via Bloomberg "This large-scale operation will be carried out in close cooperation with Iran, Oman, all other coastal States in the region, the United States and the maritime industry," IMO secretary-general Arsenio Dominguez stated Tuesday. "We have secured the necessary safety guarantees and have thoroughly verified the conditions for safe navigation to support these operations," he adds. Presumably this simply means UN assistance in seeing the stranded crew make safe passage with their cargo and on their ships. Reuters explains: The evacuation process under ​the IMO plan, which has been under discussion for months, will be phased, ‌Oman's ⁠defence ministry said separately in an advisory. "Given the elevated risk of collision in the current environment, a gradual and controlled evacuation of vessel traffic is required," it said. The Omani ministry said ​the so-called Traffic ​Separation Scheme was "not ⁠safe for use at this time" and two temporary routes to north and south of the ​scheme could be used for evacuation. "Vessels will be ​contacted individually ⁠and advised of their allocated transit day by the parties coordinated by IMO," the ministry advisory said. According to a backgrounder in the NY Times: Today, the stress on the roughly 11,000 stranded sailors in the Persian Gulf may be even greater. Seafarers now have internet access and are often watching livestreams of attacks happening around them, while also seeing explosions from their ship decks. “The fact that they are sitting on board the ships with real-time information — it is psychologically very traumatic,” said Mr. Khanna, 55. Three commercial vessels have been hit by U.S. forces this week. One of the strikes killed three people, bringing the number of seafarers killed since the start of the war to 14. All told, there have been 46 attacks on international ships in and around the Strait of Hormuz since Feb. 28, most by Iran and some by the United States. Scant details have been issued by the International Maritime Organization. There's a backlog of some 500 or 600 vessels, but some are making it through this week. Notably, lead crew members or captains have all along not abandoned their tens of millions or hundreds of millions in precious commodities/cargo - especially after already enduring the blockade for this long. Tyler Durden Tue, 06/23/2026 - 16:40

The International Maritime Organization, working with multiple countries, said it has ensured that vessels can sail safely through the Strait of Hormuz after months of being idled.

More than 11,000 seafarers stuck in the Persian Gulf will begin to exit through the Hormuz Strait in a large-scale evacuation plan backed by Iran and the U.S.

The operation follows a peace agreement between the United States and Iran that ended months of conflict and allowed commercial shipping to resume through one of the world's most important maritime routes.

An evacuation plan to enable hundreds of ships with some 11,000 seafarers stranded in the Gulf to sail through the Strait of Hormuz is underway, the United Nations' shipping agency said.

LONDON, June 23 (Reuters) - An evacuation plan to enable hundreds of ships with some 11,000 seafarers stranded in the Gulf to sail through the Strait of Hormuz is underway after Iran and the U.S. reached a ceasefire deal, the United Nations' shipping agency said on Tuesday."We have now started contacting the ships to start the evacuation," a spokesperson with the U.N.'s International Maritime Organization (IMO) said, without providing a timeframe.

UN shipping agency announces evacuation of 11,000 seafarers stranded in the Gulf The UN shipping agency said on Tuesday that an evacuation plan for 11,000 seafarers onboard 500-600 ships stranded in the Strait of Hormuz is currently under way after months of waiting. “This large-scale operation will be carried out in close cooperation with Iran, Oman, coastal States, the US and industry,” Arsenio Dominguez, secretary-general of the International Maritime Organisation, posted to social media, adding that he had obtained the “necessary security guarantees”. This comes after maritime tracking data found traffic on Monday through the strait reached its highest level since the start of the US-Israel war on Iran began. After months of distress for thousands of #seafarers, we will finally begin the implementation of the evacuation plan in #StraitofHormuz. This large-scale operation will be carried out in close cooperation with Iran, Oman, coastal States,the US & industry. https://t.co/tSG25vfBI1 pic.twitter.com/igKs7zND0M — Arsenio Dominguez (@IMOSecGen) June 23, 2026

A U.N. agency says a plan is underway to evacuate 11,000 stranded seafarers through the Strait of Hormuz