UN maritime agency begins evacuation plan for more than 11,000 sailors stranded in the Gulf

The United Nations maritime agency has begun putting into effect a plan to evacuate more than 11,000 sailors stranded in the Gulf after the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz. The operation is intended to allow hundreds of ships to move through the waterway in phases, after weeks of disruption to one of the world's most important shipping routes. The agency said it has started contacting vessels as part of the process.

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The International Maritime Organization said it had secured the safety guarantees needed for the operation and had verified conditions for safe navigation. Its secretary-general, Arsenio Dominguez, said the large-scale movement would be carried out in close cooperation with Iran, Oman, other coastal states in the region, the United States and the maritime industry. Oman's defence ministry said separately that the evacuation would be gradual and controlled because of the elevated risk of collision in the current environment.

According to the Omani advisory, the previous Traffic Separation Scheme is not safe for use at this time. Instead, two temporary routes to the north and south of the scheme could be used for the evacuation. The ministry said vessels would be contacted individually and told their allocated transit day by the parties coordinated by the maritime agency.

The separation scheme, adopted by the agency in 1968, established routing lanes through Iranian and Omani waters in the strait. The plan comes after crossings began rising in the waterway following a preliminary ceasefire deal between the United States and Iran last week. The timing matters because the Strait of Hormuz is a critical energy chokepoint, and any prolonged disruption can affect shipping, insurance, and regional security.

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The report also notes that floating mines remain among the major risks in the waters around Hormuz, adding to the pressure on commercial operators and coastal authorities. The evacuation effort has been under discussion for months, according to the Omani ministry, suggesting that maritime planners had been preparing for a prolonged disruption. The tentative ceasefire agreement calls for Iran to allow traffic to flow freely in the strait for 60 days, although Iran has said it might impose tolls or other fees on shipping.

That uncertainty leaves the future of the route dependent on whether the current arrangements hold and whether the safety guarantees remain in place. What happens next will depend on how quickly ships can be moved through the temporary routes and whether the parties involved can maintain the conditions needed for safe passage. The maritime agency said vessels will be contacted individually, indicating a phased process rather than a single reopening.

It remains unclear how many ships will transit immediately, how long the evacuation will take, and whether the ceasefire arrangement will prevent further disruption to the strait.

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