Int'l maritime body calls for safe transit guarantee through Hormuz

Welcoming the recently announced ceasefire in the Middle East, the head of the International Maritime Organization (IMO) called for a guarantee to ensure safe transit through the Strait of Hormuz.

"The priority now is to ensure an evacuation that the safety of navigation," Arsenio Dominguez, the secretary-general, said: "For the health and wellbeing of seafarers and the global shipping industry, I welcome the ceasefire announced in the Middle East."

He added that he was already working with the relevant parties to implement an appropriate mechanism to ensure the safe transit of ships through the Strait of Hormuz.

The strait, through which normally more than 100 ships pass each day, was largely closed by Iran following the war initiated by the US and Israel, and daily traffic had dropped to just a few ships.

Around 20% of global LNG shipments and 20 million barrels of oil are shipped through the strait, as well as commodities important for the agriculture and manufacturing sectors.