Víctor Jiménez: There are two thousand ships with 20,000 sailors trapped by the blockade of Hormuz

BarcelonaVíctor Jiménez (Algesires, 1976), a professional merchant mariner, is the president of the council of the International Maritime Organization, the UN's executive body responsible for the global regulation of maritime traffic. He is one of the people who best knows the current situation in the Strait of Hormuz, the bottleneck for world trade in hydrocarbons and other products that Iran has closed in retaliation for the attack by the United States and Israel. A blockade that is shaking the global economy. His mandate is not precisely peaceful: he took office in 2022, shortly before the Russian invasion of Ukraine, which also impacted transport in the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov.

What is the situation in the Strait of Hormuz today?

— There are about two thousand ships, with about 20,000 sailors trapped, who are currently immobilized in the gulf area without being able to transit through the Strait of Hormuz. There have already been eighteen attacks with seven victims, and the war has also affected port facilities... the situation is of enormous concern. 38% of the world's oil trade and 20% of liquefied natural gas transit through the strait, in addition to other oil-derived products or products used for fertilizer production. Transit has fallen by 90% or 95%, that is, from an average of 125 ships to two or three per day.

How are these trapped crews doing?

— There is a very high level of stress and psychological impact from being in a high-risk area. From the International Maritime Organization, we have asked the coastal states in the area to do everything possible to guarantee essential supplies, such as fuel, water, or food, so that the crews can continue to carry out their functions on board and allow the normal functioning of the ship. A call has also been made for the need to maintain communication for these crews with their families. All calls are insufficient to highlight the need to protect innocent seafarers, who have once again been affected as collateral victims of conflicts and geopolitical tensions.

Are there precedents?

— Similar situations have occurred in the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov with the war in Ukraine. We have also had months with attacks on merchant ships as they transited the Red Sea on their route to the Suez Canal. This led to the diversion of practically all traffic towards the Cape of Good Hope, via South Africa.

The IMO calls for an evacuation corridor for stranded ships and recommends companies to avoid the area.

— Last week we held an emergency meeting to address the impact of this situation on maritime transport and seafarers, and we called for de-escalation, moderation, and a return to diplomatic dialogue. We are also in contact with all countries in the region, including Iran, to facilitate the evacuation of these immobilized vessels through a safe maritime corridor. It is a provisional and urgent measure, but also complex: an agreement must be reached and a priority order established according to various criteria, such as the most needy vessels, supplies, or the condition of the crew.

The United States has requested military naval escorts to protect merchant ships. Do you consider it would be a way out of the current situation?

— We believe that this safe corridor should be based on peaceful and voluntary means. We have not considered issues of military protection. What we need is a framework that allows the return to freedom of navigation through dialogue and a call for understanding, which will allow us to recover this safe transit through the strait.

Iran has threatened to place naval mines in the strait.

— Before establishing this humanitarian corridor, we will have to analyze the real state of the strait from all points of view. And see what risks exist or what areas should be avoided for any reason and what would be the navigation routes, the channels that could be opened to facilitate this safe transit of ships.

Have you been able to confirm if Iran is allowing the passage of ships from allied countries?

— We have not been able to verify it.

With so many ships loaded with oil in such a small area in the midst of a war, the risk of an environmental disaster is also enormous.

— Many of these ships are loaded with thousands of tons of crude oil, other petroleum-derived products, chemical products, and also with the ships' own fuel. If a vessel is affected by an attack by drones or other devices that could cause damage, the risk of a marine pollution incident increases significantly.

And if the blockade of Hormuz is not resolved, are there alternative routes?

— The only way these ships can leave the gulf is through the Strait of Hormuz. There is no viable maritime alternative.

What conditions should be met to reopen this strait with guarantees?

— For maritime trade to resume through the Strait of Hormuz, de-escalation, a return to normality, respect for freedom of navigation, and for the rights and freedoms protected by international law are necessary. For this reason, diplomatic dialogue must be established to resolve this situation and facilitate maritime transport through the area, which is a key strategic point as a maritime route and has a global impact on all supply chains.

In recent years we are seeing less and less respect for civilians in wars.

— As a merchant seaman, I feel the utmost empathy with the men and women on board who are experiencing these kinds of situations, who under normal conditions are already far from their families, in a complicated and hostile environment such as the maritime one, and who in no case can be collateral victims of any conflict. No attack is justified against a merchant ship transiting in the exercise of freedom of navigation on a mission fundamental for all society, which makes it possible for trade to flow and for us not to lack anything at home.

Assuming there was an agreement tomorrow and the war ended, how long would it take to normalize the situation?

— From a technical point of view, under ideal conditions, the 120 daily transits could be recovered soon to allow a relatively staggered evacuation of the immobilized ships. But to return to normal commercial transit, it would be necessary to analyze whether there have been consequences of the conflict, what is the extent of the damage to port facilities and to the production of fuel or liquefied natural gas, and this is still unknown.