IMO: 400 Ships, 6,000 Seafarers Stranded in Persian Gulf

Six Months On, Hormuz Crisis Remains Unresolved

According to a report by Maritime Executive, the International Maritime Organization has issued a fresh warning about seafarer safety as the conflict between the United States and Iran passes the six-month mark. Despite claims from the U.S. side that the Strait of Hormuz is regaining normal traffic flow, the global shipping community is holding back from resuming full operations, wary of the risks that remain.

IMO Secretary-General Arsenio Dominguez said that although some vessels and crews have managed to exit the Persian Gulf, roughly 400 ships carrying about 6,000 seafarers have not been able to leave safely since the fighting began. He described the situation surrounding the Strait as still “unresolved” and called for stronger political cooperation to address it.

Evacuation Effort and Casualty Figures

The IMO ran a four-day evacuation operation in late June, moving around 136 vessels and 2,900 crew members out of the Gulf before renewed hostilities forced it to halt. As of August 26, the organization has logged 70 confirmed incidents and 19 seafarer deaths. It has not provided a figure for how many of the roughly 20,000 seafarers originally trapped when the war started may have been injured, and it has pushed back against claims that movement through the region is now unrestricted.

Dominguez urged member states and the wider shipping industry to work with the IMO and the United Nations system to find workable solutions that restore free navigation through the Strait. He also linked the Hormuz situation to a broader pattern of deteriorating maritime security in areas such as the Black Sea, Red Sea, and Gulf of Aden, calling the toll on seafarers especially troubling.

Conflicting Claims on Mine Clearance

U.S. Central Command chief Admiral Brad Cooper stated that American forces have quietly cleared mines from the Strait and that U.S. assets have supported nearly 1,500 commercial vessels over the course of the conflict. U.S. officials also disputed earlier estimates of 80 to 150 mines laid by Iran, calling those numbers outdated, and Cooper claimed strikes destroyed more than 90 percent of Iran’s stockpile of roughly 8,000 mines.

Even so, the Joint Maritime Information Center continues to flag the danger of drifting or uncharted mines near the traffic separation scheme, suggesting the “cleared” designation may not extend to the full operating area. Cooper’s figure that U.S. support helped move 750 million barrels of crude out of the Gulf has also drawn skepticism from some observers, who suspect the number may be inflated or represent a cumulative six-month total rather than a recent snapshot. Similarly, a claim by President Trump that 24 tankers transited the Strait with U.S. assistance could not be verified through tracking data, raising questions about whether those vessels were operating dark.

Slow Return of Traffic

Tracking data cited in the report points to only a gradual resumption of transits, with very few vessels heading back into the Gulf for additional cargoes. Much of the current volume is reportedly moving through shuttle operations rather than large tankers, as many operators remain unwilling to send bigger ships back through the Strait once they got them out safely. Iran, for its part, has continued to strike tankers in the Omani channel and claims to have turned back at least one LPG carrier trying to enter the Gulf, while U.S. Central Command says it has redirected, disabled, or boarded several vessels to enforce compliance since the blockade resumed.

What It Means for Owners and Managers

For ship owners, managers, and charterers, this drawn-out standoff underscores why decisions about Gulf transits cannot rest solely on official assurances of cleared shipping lanes. The gap between U.S. statements on mine clearance and the Joint Maritime Information Center’s continued warnings about drifting or uncharted mines is a reminder that risk assessment needs to be independent and continuously updated, not taken at face value. Vessels that do eventually return to Gulf trading routes, or that have spent extended periods idle or rerouted, will likely need thorough condition and machinery checks before resuming normal cargo operations, particularly where crews have operated under prolonged stress and uncertainty. Until there is a durable resolution to the blockade and clearer verification of safe routes, caution in commercial planning — and in survey and inspection practice for vessels transiting or laid up near the region — remains the prudent course.

With Iran reportedly compiling a list of conditions following talks with Qatari mediators, and claiming an arrangement with Oman on temporary operating terms, a durable resolution does not yet appear close. As Dominguez noted, thousands of seafarers continue to live and work under conditions of heightened risk while the diplomatic process plays out.

Reviewed by Ibrahim Halil Ceylan, Marine Surveyor at Apeks Marine.