8,000 Sailors Stranded in the Strait of Hormuz Await Rescue in Floating Prisons

The International Maritime Organization has suspended the evacuation plan for the roughly 8,000 sailors stranded in the Strait of Hormuz until security guarantees are secured. The sailors have been fighting to survive for months on commercial ships facing shortages of food, drinking water and medicine.

Scraper SystemJuly 03, 2026, 08:08 PM

8,000 Sailors Stranded in the Strait of Hormuz Await Rescue in Floating Prisons

The International Maritime Organization (IMO) has suspended the evacuation plan for roughly 8,000 sailors stranded for months in the Strait of Hormuz until the necessary security guarantees are in place. Thousands of sailors, with their commercial vessels turned into "floating prisons," are awaiting rescue while facing shortages of food, drinking water and medicine.

According to data published on the IMO's website, under the evacuation plan, 136 ships have been removed from the region so far and approximately 2,900 sailors have been rescued. Some sailors have now spent more than four months blockaded in the Strait of Hormuz. Despite this, roughly 8,000 sailors remain stranded in the area.

The organization had launched the three-day evacuation operation it started on June 23, about a week after the US and Iran signed a memorandum of understanding on June 17. The memorandum was seen as a significant step toward ending the war that began on February 28 and led to Tehran closing the Strait of Hormuz.

However, according to Bloomberg, which cited IMO spokesperson Natasha Brown, the evacuation plan has been temporarily halted until security guarantees are received from all parties. The decision came after a ship was attacked in the Gulf of Oman after transiting the Strait of Hormuz. The attacked vessel was sailing outside the evacuation framework organized by the IMO and announced to all ships on its website.

The sailors stranded in the region have been struggling to survive in extremely difficult conditions for at least three months. Some sailors who spoke to Bloomberg said they have been forced to drastically conserve food and water and rely on outside help for fuel and medical supplies. Reports indicate that the basic rights of sailors are being severely violated, particularly on vessels owned by small companies. In addition, many sailors' employment contracts are due to expire soon, but the cessation of sailing and security risks have made crew changes almost impossible.

The crisis has been further aggravated by the visa policies of some Gulf states. According to Bloomberg, Iraq and Kuwait have suspended the issuance of short-term visas as the security situation has worsened. This decision prevents sailors wishing to disembark and return to their home countries from leaving their ships.

IMO Secretary-General Arsenio Dominguez confirmed in a statement issued by the organization that at least 14 sailors have died and more than 40 commercial ships have come under attack as a result of the fighting. While progress has been made in indirect negotiations between the US and Iran held in Doha with Qatari and Pakistani mediation, the road to a final ceasefire agreement still appears long. As the psychological burden of each day spent away from their families grows heavier, the sailors fear a renewed flare-up of the conflict.

8,000 Sailors Stranded in the Strait of Hormuz Await Rescue in Floating Prisons