UN Urges Evacuation of 6,000 Sailors Stranded in Hormuz Strait

The United Nations is calling for urgent action to evacuate and repatriate around 6,000 sailors trapped in the Strait of Hormuz, describing their situation as a "complex humanitarian and human rights crisis." Volker Türk, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, has urged swift measures to alleviate the plight of these seafarers caught in the escalating Middle East conflict.

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The conflict parties should urgently ensure safe passage for stranded sailors to evacuate and disembark, and the supply of essential provisions.

According to the International Maritime Organization, hundreds of vessels are currently stranded, with at least 6,000 sailors unable to evacuate during lulls in hostilities. The whereabouts of many others remain unknown. Shabia Mantoo, a spokesperson for the High Commissioner, stated that parties to the conflict, shipowners, and all relevant entities must prioritize the sailors' safety. This includes providing consular assistance, essential supplies, and facilitating their evacuation and repatriation.

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Attacks on civilian ships are unacceptable and must stop. They are protected under international humanitarian law.

Mantoo emphasized that the parties involved should ensure safe passage for the stranded sailors to disembark and receive vital provisions. The conflict, which reignited this month after a brief ceasefire, has plunged the region into chaos, with Iran and the United States vying for control of the strategic waterway. This strait previously handled one-fifth of the world's oil cargo before the war.

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Sailors continue to face the effects of war, with deadly attacks in the strait continuing, and facing direct threats to life or injury.

The UN Human Rights Office has also highlighted that some sailors have been abandoned at sea by their shipowners, left without support, repatriation options, or wages. At least nine ships with 93 crew members are in this situation, lacking food, water, fuel, medical aid, electricity, and communication with their families. The office confirmed at least four attacks on civilian vessels in the Odesa region since the start of the war, resulting in casualties among ship workers.

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Sailors were left on their ships without food, water, fuel, medical aid, electricity, or means to communicate with their families.