According to AFP, the International Maritime Organization (IMO) said that about 6,000 sailors and 500 ships have remained stranded in the Gulf area since the conflict began.
IMO said that the parties are discussing to establish a safe maritime route, but the outcome still depends on the tense developments in the region.
In June, the IMO deployed a plan to evacuate more than 11,000 crew members stranded in the Gulf region, but it was suspended after 1 attack on 1 ship. In the past 6 months, at least 20 sailors and port workers have been killed in incidents or attacks in the area.
Before the Hoarmuz Strait was blocked in February, about 1/5 of global exports of oil and liquefied natural gas (LNG) were transported through this strategic shipping route. After the operation through the strait was interrupted from March 1, the number of cargo ships passing through here decreased significantly.
According to AFP analysis based on data from maritime tracking company Kpler, an average of only 10 ships pass through the strait per day, a sharp decrease compared to 95 ships per day in February. An agreement between the US and Iran in June helped transportation activities temporarily recover, increasing to an average of 36 ships per day, before decreasing to 15 ships per day after fighting resumed from July 8 - August 22.
This situation also changes the maritime routes through the strait. Before the conflict, ships mainly used corridors in the central area recognized by the IMO. There are currently 2 main routes, including the northern route near the Iranian coast, which is approved by this country, and the southern route between the Oman coast and the area warned of the risk of sea mines.
In the relatively stable period from June 17 to July 7, an average of 9 ships/day traveled along the Iranian route and 8 ships/day along the Oman route. However, after July 8, about 2/3 of the ships passing through the strait were classified by Kpler as "anonymous" or unidentified, while before the conflict, this rate was less than 1%.
These trains cannot accurately determine the route due to limited tracking data, including the situation of turning off signal transmitters, signals being interfered with or missing satellite images.
