29 vessels have now been attacked in the Middle East, with 10 fatalities.

Briefing by His Excellency Arsenio Dominguez, the Secretary General of the IMO on the situation in the Middle East.

During his brief to IMO Member States and non-Governmental Organisations, the Secretary General reiterated that seafarer safety remains the main topic of his efforts. He noted the risk from naval mines in the region, which is currently preventing any safe transit through the Strait of Hormuz and appealed that ship owners and operators should not put seafarer lives at risk. The continued requirement for compliance with MLC 2006 was also noted, including payment of wages, conditions of contracts, seafarer welfare and other provisions.

The Secretary General highlighted a number of ongoing work strands to optimise support and conditions for seafarers.  These include negotiations for a safe evacuation corridor using the Traffic Separation Scheme in the Strait of Hormuz, extensions of validity of STCW certifications for seafarers trapped in the Middle East, consistent resupply to ships affected, and also encouraging welfare organisations and ship owners to ensure adequate communications for affected seafarers with their families.

This remains an ongoing situation with no end in sight.  In order to continue highlighting this issue, the Secretary General will be briefing the UN Security Council on Monday next week.

The Nautical Institute was represented at this briefing by Captain Chris O’Flaherty AFNI.