Stranded Hormuz sailors begin mass evacuation operations

“You don’t know when the war will end; You don’t know when the ship will be able to safely pass through the Straitso it’s very difficult,” explained Third Officer Clarisse Proud (read her testimony below).

The evacuation plan is directly related to ongoing talks between Iran and the United States to end their conflict, in line with the Memorandum of Understanding the two countries signed last week.

If successful, the number of ships transiting through the Strait will return to pre-war levels of around 130 ships per day, compared with between twenty and thirty ships in the last three days. “Transit is expected to start increasing once evacuation plans are implemented,” the IMO said.

The agency notified UN News that they had begun contacting ships to initiate evacuation plans through staff on the ground. Between 500 and 600 commercial vessels will be involved in the operation, so that those on board can exit the Gulf waters safely.

The agency has secured necessary safety guarantees and verified conditions for safe navigation out of the Strait of Malacca, where a shipping freeze has caused a global energy shock whose impacts will be long-lasting, especially for developing countries.

In today’s operational communiqué from IMO to shipping companies and ship captains, the agency identified two new temporary sea routes which should be used to exit the Strait.

These new channels – which are different from the routes ships used to take before the freeze – are the “Northern route” close to the Iranian coastline and the “Southern route” passing through the waters of Oman and the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

“Iran and Oman are each responsible for ensuring the safety of navigation in their territorial waters,” the IMO said, adding that the vessel could be stopped “at any time for safety, security or naval deconfliction purposes”.

Risk of sea mines

To allow the vessel to exit safely and for “mitigation risks associated with mining and deteriorating navigation conditions,” the agency stressed that its main message to ship masters is: “don’t move. Wait to be contacted. Strictly follow the instructions issued by the respective coastal State…Each ship will be assigned a transit group and assigned a specific departure day.”

A total of 14 sailors have been killed in attacks on ships in the Strait since the state of emergency in the Middle East began, while the waterway experienced massive disruption after Israeli-US bombing of Iran began on February 28.

“After months of hardship and distress for thousands of innocent seafarers, and negative impacts for the entire world, I welcome with deep satisfaction the peace agreement agreed between the United States and Iran, which marks a firm step toward restoring maritime security and ending unacceptable attacks on civilian shipping,” said IMO Secretary General Arsenio Dominguez in his statement, Wednesday.

Testimony of a sailor

For Third Officer Clarisse Proud, dealing with the mental anguish of being trapped on a vulnerable ship in the Strait of Hormuz is a daily challenge that can be debilitating.

“In addition to the impact of stress at work itself, you also experience stress due to what is happening around you,” he said. “You don’t know when the war will end, you don’t know when ships will be able to pass through the Channel safely.”

Carrying out training and respecting safety protocols is an important part of preparing to sail through high-risk areas. “We have company procedures and policies…as Third Officer, my role is to prepare and lead the crew to carry out certain drills that will help everyone know what to do in case of an emergency. If you know your duties and responsibilities in the event of an emergency, I’m sure everything will run smoothly,” explained Mrs. Proud.

The Filipino sailors were evacuated from their aircraft carrier earlier this month, before the evacuation plan was announced. He described the uncertainty of being stuck in the middle of a war zone as a “unique” situation that can often challenge the mental and emotional health of the crew.

“I don’t think anyone can understand what it’s like to be in a war zone unless they’ve been there,” he explains. “Because as I said, you don’t know when the war is going to end, you don’t know when your ships will be able to get out safely. Every day, there are missile attacks, drone attacks, there are alerts, mobile alerts, and you really don’t know what’s going to happen.”

Providing reassurance to those still stuck on ships trying to travel through the Channel is the best way to help them, the marine officer stressed, “helping the crew means helping them reduce the stress related to economic pressures, operational pressures, that kind of thing”.