IMO Pushes for Practical Fixes to Restore Hormuz Navigation

IMO Warns of Ongoing Crisis in the Strait of Hormuz

The International Maritime Organization is calling for practical measures to restore freedom of navigation through the Strait of Hormuz, according to a report by Ship & Bunker. IMO Secretary-General Arsenio Dominguez said in an emailed statement that the impacts of the ongoing crisis are “grave – both in the short and long term.”

Dominguez said as many as 400 ships carrying roughly 6,000 seafarers have been unable to safely leave the Persian Gulf since the conflict began, though some vessels and crews have managed to depart the area. The IMO has verified at least 70 attacks on international shipping connected to the situation, resulting in 19 seafarer deaths.

Seafarers Under Continued Risk

According to Dominguez, thousands of seafarers in the region continue to live and work under conditions of heightened risk and uncertainty. The statement underscores the human toll of the disruption alongside its broader commercial consequences for shipping through one of the world’s most strategically important waterways.

Council Resolution and Call for Cooperation

In July, the IMO Council adopted a resolution reaffirming the right of transit passage through international straits and calling for a coordinated return to unhindered navigation through Hormuz. Dominguez said that renewed political will and cooperation are needed to deliver on that commitment.

He urged IMO member states and the broader shipping industry to work together with the IMO and the wider United Nations system toward restoring freedom of navigation through the Strait. The statement did not detail specific practical measures under consideration, but it reflects continued pressure from the IMO for coordinated international action rather than unilateral responses from shipowners or flag states.

Wider Context

The Strait of Hormuz has remained a focal point of regional tension, with related reporting noting differing views among traders and analysts on prospects for stabilization, including discussion of co-management arrangements between regional states. The IMO’s statement did not address these specific proposals, focusing instead on the humanitarian and operational toll on seafarers and vessels still unable to transit safely.