The Strait of Hormuz, one of the most important sea routes in the world, is once again in the headlines. The months-long tension and conflict between Iran and America has not only affected the oil market but also thousands of sailors who got stuck in the middle of the sea. The situation became such that hundreds of ships kept waiting in the sea for months. Now the United Nations Maritime Agency (IMO) has started a big plan to rescue these stranded sailors.
This matter is also important for India because Indian seafarers have a major stake in the international shipping sector. One out of every six sailors working on the world’s largest merchant ships is said to be an Indian. In such a situation, the crisis arising in Hormuz has also affected the Indian sailors and their families. The Government of India has already advised maritime companies to be cautious about the deployment of Indian sailors in conflict areas.
How many sailors are being prepared to be evacuated?
UN maritime agency International Maritime Organization (IMO) has said that currently about 600 ships are affected by this problem. These include oil tankers, container ships and cargo ships. More than 11,000 sailors aboard these ships have been stranded at sea for a long time. Now the United Nations is working on planning to get them out safely. (IMO) Chief Arsenio Dominguez said that 14 sailors have died during this conflict. He said that a large-scale rescue operation has been planned to rescue the stranded sailors and ships.
Iran is collecting toll
This statement of Arsenio Dominguez came at a time when, on the news of Iran charging toll from tankers, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said that the Strait of Hormuz is an international waterway, so no country can impose toll on ships passing through there. To safely evacuate the sailors, safe sea corridors are being created with the cooperation of Iran, Oman, America and other regional countries. According to the IMO, due to war and security risks, the movement of ships was affected for months, due to which thousands of seafarers were left stranded on their ships.
How many ships are stranded?
India is one of the largest countries providing seafarers to the international shipping sector. According to government figures, about 3.5 lakh Indian sailors work on ships across the world. A large number of these are deployed on foreign flagged ships. According to DG Shipping, 1 in every 6 sailors working on international merchant ships is an Indian. If seen in such a situation, if 11 thousand sailors come out safely, then it will be estimated that 1800 to 2000 Indian sailors will be among them.
Three sailors died
In recent months several ships have been victims of attacks in the Gulf of Oman and the Hormuz region. Indian sailors also died in some incidents. After this, DG Shipping advised recruitment agencies and shipping companies to limit the deployment of Indian sailors in conflict areas. In June, three merchant ships were targeted in US Navy attacks. Of these, three Indian sailors lost their lives on the Setebelo ship, while there were no deaths on the other two ships.
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