The Council of the International Maritime Organization (IMO) reaffirmed its commitment to protecting the safety, security, health and well-being of seafarers amid continuing threats to international shipping.

The Council reiterated that vital shipping lanes should remain open, safe and secure. It underscored that seafarers must be protected wherever they are and whatever their nationality, including in geopolitical disputes over which they have no control.

Secretary-General Arsenio Dominguez emphasized highlighted the death of another seafarer, following an attack on the M/T VELOS SAPPHIRE in the Strait of Hormuz on November 5, bringing the number of confirmed casualties to 25 since the conflict in the Middle East began. In total, at least 130 attacks against commercial vessels in the region have been verified by IMO, with thousands of seafarers at risk, including those on ships that have been unable to leave the Persian Gulf.

The Council strongly condemned attacks carried out by the Houthis against merchant and commercial vessels and their crews in the Red Sea and Bab al-Mandab Strait,

The Council called on Member States to refrain from unlawful measures that would jeopardize the safety of seafarers and international shipping. The Secretary-General further committed to finding additional concrete measures IMO can take to help prevent further loss of life and alleviate the human cost of the crisis.

Source: IMO

 

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