Hundreds of vessels remain in the waters of the Persian Gulf, and the situation in the region remains dangerous, according to the UN body responsible for the safety of shipping.
According to its figures, around 400 vessels are still unable to leave the area, whilst many others face heightened risks.
“Six months after the start of the conflict in the Middle East, the situation in the Strait of Hormuz remains unresolved,” said Arsenio Domínguez, Chairman of the International Maritime Organisation (IMO).
“Although some vessels and their crews have managed to leave [the Gulf], around 400 vessels, carrying some 6,000 seafarers, have been unable to leave the area safely since the start of the conflict,” he added.
The IMO has confirmed 70 attacks on international vessels in the Gulf region, particularly in and around the Strait of Hormuz, since the start of the US-Israeli war with Iran in late February. According to its figures, at least 19 seafarers have been killed in these attacks.
The Strait of Hormuz, through which 20 per cent of the world’s crude oil and natural gas supplies passed before the war, remains one of the main points of contention between Washington and Tehran.
Iran has effectively closed it, demanding the right to control shipping in this waterway. The US authorities, for their part, insist that it is their forces that ensure control over the strait.