IMO Secretary-General: The Strait of Hormuz Cannot Be Blocked

MaticHoleFiller · 2026-04-04T19:57:01+00:00

The Secretary-General of the International Maritime Organization, Domingues, emphasized at the meeting that restoring navigation through the Strait of Hormuz requires diplomatic means. He called for coordinated international action to evacuate stranded seafarers and to prevent an environmental disaster. At present, the situation is tense, and seafarers are facing shortages of essential supplies and psychological pressure.

MaticHoleFiller

2026-04-04 19:57:01

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Source: Xinhua News Agency

Xinhua London, April 2 (reporters Gao Wencheng and Yu Aicen) International Maritime Organization Secretary-General Domingues said on April 2, during an online international meeting, that restoring navigation through the Strait of Hormuz cannot be achieved by relying solely on military means; instead, it is necessary to ease tensions and adopt feasible maritime solutions.

The meeting was chaired by British Foreign Secretary Cooper. Representatives from more than 40 countries and international maritime organizations, as well as international organizations such as the European Union, attended the meeting to discuss restoring navigation through the Strait of Hormuz. The foreign ministers of various countries listened to briefings from the International Maritime Organization on actions related to the situation in the Strait of Hormuz.

Domingues hopes that countries will support diplomatic efforts to evacuate about 20k seafarers stranded in the Persian Gulf and to open up a humanitarian emergency assistance corridor.

He said that scattered response measures are no longer sufficient to resolve this crisis. What is urgently needed now is diplomatic engagement, practical and neutral solutions, and coordinated international action.

“The International Maritime Organization is advancing a maritime evacuation framework based on cooperation among coastal states, security safeguards, and action coordination, with the clear goal of evacuating vessels in distress, enabling safe crew rotation, and preventing environmental disasters.” Domingues said.

On February 28, the United States and Israel launched a large-scale military action against Iran. Iran retaliated against Israel and targets such as U.S. military bases in the Middle East. Affected by the fighting, shipping through the Strait of Hormuz—an essential global energy sea route—has been almost completely disrupted.

The International Maritime Organization has confirmed that there were 21 incidents of attacks on merchant ships, resulting in the deaths of 10 seafarers and injuries to many others. At present, the seafarers stranded in the Persian Gulf are facing increasingly scarce supplies, fatigue, and severe psychological pressure.

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