WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - The UN agency regulating global shipping has announced that it will begin implementing an evacuation plan for more than 11,000 seafarers stranded in the Strait of Hormuz for months due to the Middle East war.
The International Maritime Organization announced on Tuesday that the large-scale operation will be carried out in cooperation with Iran, Oman and other coastal nations in the region, the United States and the maritime industry.
IMO had secured the necessary safety guarantees and verified conditions for safe navigation, the agency's Secretary-General, Arsenio Dominguez, said in a statement.
Paying tribute to 14 seafarers who lost their lives during the most recent escalation of the Middle East conflict, Dominguez underlined that IMO remains fully committed to ensuring the safety of seafarers and the continuity of global trade.
Speaking to the media during his daily briefing from New York, UN Spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric said the operation represents a significant step towards easing the 'humanitarian impact on thousands of seafarers who have faced months of uncertainty, restricted movement and mounting welfare concerns.'
The development comes within days of the signing of a 14-point framework deal between the United States and Iran, which paves the way for lasting peace in the Middle East.
As a first step in the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding, Iran has reopened the Strait of Hormuz, and the United States lifted the naval blockade of Iranian ports.
The traffic of vessels through Strait of Hormuz is reportedly improving steadily, but well below pre-war levels.
It is estimated that 600-plus oil tankers and more than 1,200 cargo ships remain stranded in or near the Strait of Hormuz. Even though the strategic commercial waterway has reopened, vessels are stuck due to severe marine growth on their hulls and ongoing global supply chain disruptions, reports say.
Meanwhile, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said that no country is allowed to impose tolls on the Strait of Hormuz.
Speaking to reporters at the beginning of his three-day tour to three gulf countries Tuesday, Rubio said, 'No country is allowed to charge tolls or fees on an international waterway. That's existing international law. That's the way it is in international waterways all over the world, and that's the way we expect it'll be here. So I don't think we have anybody to convince around here in that regard. I think all the countries in this region would agree with us.'
During his Gulf tour, Rubio is visiting the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, and Bahrain to follow up on the implementation of the Iran-U.S. MoU.
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