UN Says 25 Seafarers Killed Around Strait of Hormuz Since February
At least 25 seafarers have been killed in and around the Strait of Hormuz, the narrow waterway between Iran and Oman that links the Persian Gulf to the Gulf of Oman, since the war involving the US, Israel and Iran began in February. The figure was given to the UN Security Council in New York on Friday, 13 November, by Khaled Khiari, UN Assistant Secretary-General for the Middle East, Asia and the Pacific. It covers the period up to 11 November.
Using data from the International Maritime Organization (IMO), Khiari said 136 security incidents involving ships were recorded in Hormuz and the wider Middle East between 1 March and 11 November. October was the worst month so far, with 35 incidents, and 10 more were logged in the first part of November.
From the CrewMirror Blog
Khiari said civilian and commercial ships “must not become targets” and that the situation “cannot be allowed to become the new normal”. He described the present shipping arrangements in the region as costly, unpredictable and unsafe, and called for normal navigation to be fully restored. His briefing follows an earlier appeal by IMO Secretary-General Arsenio Dominguez, who urged flag, port and coastal States to enforce safety rules at Hormuz.
The danger has not eased. On 14 November, Iran’s navy and Revolutionary Guards claimed that three oil tankers had hit mines in and east of the strait, and that two of them caught fire. The ships were not named, nothing was said about their crews, and the claims have not been independently confirmed. The US military says the main routes have been cleared of mines. According to UKMTO, traffic through the strait is about 65% below pre-war levels, and the risks for crews in the Strait of Hormuz remain among the highest anywhere at sea.
CrewMirror Takeaway
Each of these 25 deaths was a seafarer simply doing their job. Crews on ships trading to the Gulf should follow the latest UKMTO and JMIC guidance, take security drills seriously, and know their rights in the IBF warlike operations area, including the right to refuse to sail.
