IMO calls for urgent evacuation of ships blocked in the Gulf following the ceasefire

Kinshasa, April 8^th, 2026 (CPA/Xinhua). –The General Secretary of the International Maritime Organisation (IMO), Arsenio Dominguez, has affirmed on Wednesday that the current priority was to evacuate blocked ships and ensure the safety of navigation following the truce agreed in the Gulf, we have learned from the Chinese news agency. “The priority now is to ensure an evacuation that guarantees the safety of navigation,” has declared Arsenio Dominguez, welcoming the significance of the ceasefire “for the health and well-being of seafarers and the world maritime industry”.  He has indicated he was working with the parties concerned to put in place appropriate mechanisms to ensure the safe passage of ships through the Strait of Hormuz. The strait, a vital shipping route for the world’s energy transport, has seen its transport activities virtually halted following large-scale military actions carried out by the United States and Israel against Iran on February 28th, followed by retaliatory strikes by Iran. Iran and the United States have agreed to a ceasefire and will hold talks on Friday in Islamabad, the capital of Pakistan. Iran has promised safe passage through the Strait of Hormuz during the two-week truce, under the “coordination” of the Iranian armed forces. According to the IMO, as of Tuesday, a total of 22 attacks on ships had been confirmed in the areas around the Strait of Hormuz, resulting in ten deaths among seafarers, with some 20,000 people blocked in the Gulf.