Basra: The International Maritime Organization (IMO) has warned that some 400 ships remain stranded in the Gulf, six months after the start of the conflict between the United States and Iran, with thousands of seafarers in the region facing increasing risks. IMO Secretary-General Arsenio Dominguez said in a statement: “While some ships and their crews have managed to leave the Gulf, some 400 vessels, with approximately 6,000 seafarers on board, have been unable to leave safely since the start of the conflict.”

According to National Iraqi News Agency, Dominguez added that the organization has documented 70 attacks on international vessels in the Gulf and around the Strait of Hormuz since the end of February, resulting in the deaths of 19 seafarers. Dominguez stressed that the deteriorating maritime security in the Gulf and globally harms everyone, “but it is particularly painful for the thousands of innocent seafarers affected.”

The Strait of Hormuz is the focal point of the conflict between Washington and Tehran. Before the war, the strait was an open waterway for international navigation, but it has now become a battleground.