An “unprecedented” crisis is unfolding for 20,000 seafarers stranded in the Persian Gulf, a UN body has warned, as the Strait of Hormuz closure leaves crews trapped on ships with no clear way out.
As the stalemate in the Gulf drags on, maritime workers – many from poor, developing countries – are finding themselves stranded at sea, caught between commercial pressure from ship owners, security threats from drones and sea mines and limited legal protections.
“It is an unprecedented situation,” Damien Chevallier, director of the Maritime Safety Division at the UN’s International Maritime Organization (IMO), said in an interview with CNN. “We have around 20,000 seafarers in the Gulf for now…