The United Nations' maritime agency has begun implementing a large-scale operation to evacuate more than 11,000 seafarers stranded aboard hundreds of vessels in and around the Strait of Hormuz.
The operation, coordinated by the International Maritime Organization (IMO), comes after a ceasefire agreement between the United States and Iran created an opportunity to move vessels that have been trapped in the region for months amid conflict and severe navigation restrictions.
According to the IMO, the evacuation effort will involve close cooperation among Iran, Oman, other Gulf coastal states, the United States, and the global shipping industry. "We will begin the implementation of the evacuation plan for over 11,000 seafarers still stranded in the region," IMO Secretary-General Arsenio Dominguez said in a statement announcing the operation.
The agency said it had secured the necessary safety guarantees and verified conditions for safe navigation before proceeding. The Strait of Hormuz, one of the world's most strategically important waterways, has been at the center of a months-long maritime crisis linked to the conflict involving Iran, the United States, and Israel.
Since the fighting erupted in late February, commercial shipping traffic through the narrow passage has been severely disrupted, leaving thousands of seafarers stranded aboard vessels unable to safely exit the Persian Gulf.
At the height of the crisis, the IMO estimated that roughly 20,000 seafarers were trapped in the region as Iran imposed restrictions on vessel movements through the strait. The agency has documented dozens of attacks against international shipping since the conflict began, underscoring the risks facing civilian crews caught in the middle of geopolitical tensions.
The evacuation plan itself has been under discussion for months. Earlier this year, maritime officials warned that any effort to move ships would require extensive security guarantees because of ongoing military threats, including attacks on merchant vessels and the presence of naval mines in key shipping lanes.
Under the newly activated plan, ships will not depart simultaneously. Instead, vessels will be contacted individually and assigned specific transit windows to ensure a gradual and controlled evacuation process. Oman's defense ministry said the operation would proceed in phases to reduce the risk of collisions and other accidents in the crowded waterway.
Authorities have also modified navigation procedures. The traditional Traffic Separation Scheme, the internationally recognized routing system used in the strait since 1968, is currently considered unsafe because of lingering hazards. Instead, temporary northern and southern routes will be used to guide vessels out of the Gulf. Maritime experts continue to cite floating mines as one of the biggest threats to safe navigation.
