The International Maritime Organization (IMO) is making preparations for the evacuation of hundreds of ships stuck while trying to transit the Strait of Hormuz , Secretary General Arsenio Dominguez said on Monday, as the Iran-US war leaves hundreds of sailors stranded.
A plan by the United Nations body aims to rescue some 20,000 seafarers stuck onboard around 1,600 vessels anchored around the Gulf waters, the IMO chief said on the sidelines of Singapore Maritime Week.
Dominguez added that the IMO is working with a group of countries to ensure the Strait of Hormuz is clear of mines and other hazards once it reopens; however, he stressed that this will not begin until it is safe to do so.
"We cannot put the seafarers at risk," Dominguez was quoted by Singapore's Straits Times as saying.
Shipping through the Strait of Hormuz has come to an effective standstill after Iran announced that it was closing the waterway due to the US blockade of Iranian ports. Iran had agreed to reopen the strait as part of the 8 April ceasefire , but retracted from this due to the US's actions.
The two sides have yet to reach an agreement as the truce's expiry approaches on Wednesday.
The channel usually sees around 120 daily transits in peacetime, according to Lloyd's List, a shipping industry intelligence site.
The site reported on Tuesday that more than 20 Iranian "shadow vessels" had transited past the US blockade.
Early on Tuesday, three vessels appeared to attempt a transit through the strait, according to Bloomberg .
Among the three vessels was the Iranian-flagged Shoja 2 cargo vessel, which crossed the strait into the Gulf of Oman before switching off its signal.
A day earlier, two Iran-linked LNG carriers and two oil tankers transited the strait in both directions.
The re-opening of the Strait is a key stumbling block to negotiations between the US and Iran, with Tehran insisting that it will not negotiate while under attack and blockade. Early on Tuesday, Iranian state media reported that no Iranian delegation had departed for the scheduled talks in Islamabad on Wednesday, amid demands for Washington to return an Iranian vessel it had seized on Sunday. Ships targeted by scammers Fraudulent messages promising safe passage through the Strait of Hormuz in exchange for cryptocurrency have been sent to some shipping companies whose vessels are stranded west of the waterway, Greek maritime risk management firm MARISKS has warned.
Amid ceasefire talks, Tehran, which controls the chokepoint, has proposed tolls on vessels to safely transit the waters.
MARISKS on Monday issued an alert warning shipowners that unknown actors, claiming to represent Iranian authorities, had sent some shipping companies a message demanding transit fees in cryptocurrencies, Bitcoin or Tether, for “clearance”.
"These specific messages are a scam," the firm said, adding the message was not sent by Iranian authorities.
There was no immediate comment from Tehran.