Thousands of seafarers still trapped in Hormuz amid growing risks to cargoes

July 7 ------ Months after conflict erupted in the Middle East, thousands of merchant seafarers remain stranded in and around the Strait of Hormuz, as security concerns, operational costs and geopolitical tensions continue to disrupt shipping, according to Bloomberg.

The prolonged instability has left an estimated 8,000 seafarers unable to leave the region, underscoring the human cost of a crisis that continues to reverberate across global trade. The International Maritime Organization (IMO) has been closely monitoring the deteriorating security situation, warning that more than 20,000 seafarers were operating in the region at the height of the crisis, including many aboard vessels unable to safely transit the Strait of Hormuz.

In response, the IMO, acting under the direction of the IMO Council and in coordination with Member States and industry stakeholders, launched an evacuation plan aimed at safely relocating around 11,000 seafarers from the affected area. However, it temporarily suspended its emergency evacuation framework in the Strait of Hormuz on 25 June after a vessel was attacked in the southern transit corridor.

For many crews, evacuation has remained elusive. Seafarers have continued operating vessels amid missile and drone attacks, caught between commercial obligations and a geopolitical conflict far beyond their control. Their predicament highlights the often-overlooked reality that global supply chains rely on individuals willing to work under extraordinary pressure and increasingly dangerous conditions to keep international trade moving.

The human toll has been severe. According to industry estimates, at least 14 civilian seafarers from countries other than Iran have lost their lives since the conflict began. Iranian authorities have reported that approximately 50 Iranian mariners have also been killed. The IMO has further confirmed that one seafarer remains missing, while at least two additional non-combat-related deaths have been reported during the crisis.

The situation has renewed attention on the vulnerability of the global maritime workforce. According to the World Bank, oceangoing merchant vessels transport more than 80% of global trade by volume and around 70% by value. The industry depends on a workforce of nearly 2.6 million seafarers serving aboard more than 85,000 merchant ships worldwide, according to BIMCO and the International Chamber of Shipping (ICS). Most of these seafarers come from lower-income countries, particularly in Asia, with the Philippines and India together supplying roughly 30% of the world’s merchant shipping workforce.

While military operations in the region have eased, the shipping industry continues to grapple with elevated security risks, higher operating costs and persistent uncertainty, leaving thousands of seafarers still waiting for a safe route home.

Stranded Sulphur cargoes in the Strait of Hormuz face mounting corrosion risk, warns Brookes Bell

In addition, bulk carriers carrying elemental Sulphur cargoes in the Strait of Hormuz are at significant risk of accelerated structural corrosion, with some vessels having remained at anchorage for more than three times the standard cargo protection period, Brookes Bell has warned.

Arron Jackaman, Director of Non-Destructive Testing at Brookes Bell, has urged shipowners, P&I clubs, and hull and machinery insurers to assess the condition of affected dry bulk carriers as soon as possible in order to avoid potential damage and financial loss. The risk stems from the limited working life of the protective treatment applied to cargo holds before loading, and how far that protection might have already been exceeded on vessels delayed in the Strait.

With some vessels in the Strait of Hormuz having remained at anchorage for upwards of 60 days, Jackaman noted that this protection period has been significantly exceeded and has warned about the risk of further damage to bulk carriers stuck in the region. "The hold block for carrying Sulphur cargoes has a standard working life of around 20 days. Where vessels have been at anchorage for two months or more, that protection has long since been exhausted. The corrosion that can develop once exposed steel is subjected to prolonged contact with Sulphur and moisture is orders of magnitude more aggressive than normal seawater exposure," said Jackaman.

Brookes Bell further noted that it has been investigating Sulphur cargo claims for vessels that had managed to exit the Strait of Hormuz since February. It noted that it has documented pitting depths in unprotected steel of up to 5 mm forming in approximately 50 days, with some cases even recording wastage of up to 7 mm. The standard corrosion rate in a seawater environment is 0.2 mm per year. “Sulphur corrosion often appears visually more severe than it actually is. Localized pitting tends to concentrate at points where grab discharge equipment has broken the coating barrier, and on cargo hold tank top plating, which is left uncoated by design. Without correct measurements and quantitative assessment, there is a significant risk that steel within class limits is condemned unnecessarily,” Jackaman explained.

Under Common Structural Rules, bulk carrier cargo hold structures such as tank top plating, bulkhead stools and sloping hopper plating incorporate a sacrificial corrosion allowance of 5.5mm. Visual assessment alone does not account for this margin, and Jackaman has warned that claims based on visual severity routinely overstate the repair strategy and structural renewal that is required. “Wholesale steel renewal can cost around 10 times more than targeted localized repair. If the extent of repair is being decided on the basis of what the damage looks like rather than what the measurements show, then owners, charterers, and their insurers can end up paying significantly more than the structural condition requires,” said Jackaman.

Brookes Bell has also highlighted crew safety as a consideration, noting that appropriate atmospheric testing, risk assessment and confined space entry procedures must be in place before personnel enter affected cargo holds and adjacent tank spaces. "Early engagement is critical. The strongest evidence is usually obtained before cargo residues are fully removed, surfaces are cleaned, or repair decisions have already been made. Brookes Bell’s involvement from the point at which damage is first identified gives clients the best opportunity to measure the true extent of corrosion, challenge unnecessary steel renewal and the strongest basis for ensuring repair costs are fair, proportionate, and defensible," Arron Jackaman added.

Source: safety4sea.com