Humanitarian crisis in Hormuz: 6,000 sailors stranded on 400 ships. UN calls for urgent action as 93 crew members abandoned on nine vessels lack essentials.
Humanitarian Crisis in Hormuz: 6,000 Seafarers Trapped on 400 Vessels
The United Nations has announced that at least 6,000 seafarers are trapped on approximately 400 vessels in and around the Strait of Hormuz. It has been reported that 93 seafarers on nine ships have been abandoned by their shipowners, deprived of food, water, fuel, medicine, electricity, and communication facilities.
UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk has called on states, shipowners, and parties to the conflict to take urgent action against the seafarer crisis that has emerged in the Strait of Hormuz. According to information received from the IMO, at least 6,000 seafarers who could not be evacuated during the ceasefire period continue to remain on approximately 400 vessels. The UN states that this figure may not be complete and that there may be other seafarers on smaller vessels who have not yet been reached.
The UN Human Rights Office has reported receiving information that at least 93 crew members on nine vessels have been abandoned by their shipowners since the war began. It has been reported that these seafarers were left on their ships without food, drinking water, fuel, medical care, electricity, communication, and wages.
It should be noted that two separate figures should not be confused here. It is not stated that all approximately 6,000 seafarers are legally 'abandoned.' The group that the UN has directly indicated as having been abandoned by the shipowner consists of the 93 seafarers on nine vessels. The others are trapped on their ships due to regional security conditions, impossibility of passage, and inability to evacuate.
According to the UN, the total number of seafarer deaths in attacks in and around Hormuz has risen to 17. Volker Türk has requested that the parties ensure safe passage for vessels, deliver essential supplies, and facilitate the evacuation or repatriation of the crew.
The UN also drew attention to attacks on civilian vessels in the Black Sea. It was reported that in four confirmed attacks in the Odesa region in July, a total of 34 crew members were killed or injured, and in another attack in the Sea of Azov, one seafarer lost their life.
Source: SeaNews Türkiye
