Dominguez (IMO): The operation will be carried out in close cooperation with Iran, Oman, all other coastal states in the region, the USA and the maritime industry
The Secretary General of the International Maritime Organization, Arsenio Dominguez, announced today the definition of a plan for the evacuation of ships still waiting to transit the Strait of Hormuz, with a large-scale operation that – he specified – ‘will be carried out in close cooperation with Iran, Oman, all the other coastal states in the region, the United States and the maritime industry’. “We have obtained – explained Dominguez – the necessary guarantees of safety and thoroughly verified the conditions for safe navigation at support for these operations” and – he added – “We will start the implementation of the evacuation plan for over 11,000 seafarers still stranded in the region”.
Announcing the new plan, the IMO Secretary-General paid tribute “to the 14 innocent seafarers who tragically lost their lives during this conflict. Their dedication to service of global trade – he underlined – will not be forgotten”.
Regarding the routes to allow safe transit through the Strait of Hormuz, Dominguez made reference to a notice issued by the Ministry of Defence of the Sultanate of Oman concerning the safety of navigation in the Arabian Gulf and the Strait of Hormuz and in which Oman reaffirms its responsibilities with respect to the Strait of Hormuz and its commitment to international law and the law of the sea to ensure free navigation without toll imposition, in line with the efforts and results reached by the United States and Iran.
The document illustrates the creation of maritime corridors and, noting that due to the high risk of collision in the current context, the dividing line of the traffic on the Traffic Separation Scheme (TSS) route is considered unsafe, in coordination with the International Maritime Organization, two temporary routes have been established for the gradual and controlled evacuation of merchant ships: one to the south and one to the north of the existing TSS.
The Omani document specifies that the ships included in the groups designated by the IMO will be contacted individually to receive instructions and know the day allotted for transit. Once the information has been received, the ships will have to head towards a designated waiting area in international waters, and, on arrival, ships must contact the coastal State of reference.
The document also specifies that shipowners and masters of the ships remain responsible for independent risk assessment before the voyage and stresses that ships must absolutely keep the systems of identification AIS, and LRIT if applicable, and obey the instructions from coastal authorities via VHF.
Finally, the notice warns that ship traffic could be temporarily suspended for safety reasons or to avoid conflicts with the navigation of military units.
