Duyurular

SİRKÜLER NO: 6.12 / 397-305 = 29/06/2026

Üyesi bulunduğumuz FONASBA' dan 26.06.2026 tarihinde almış olduğumuz e- posta mesajı aşağıdaki gibidir.  

‘’Dear all,

FONASBA participated in the special emergency briefing convened by the IMO Secretary-General, Mr. Arsenio Dominguez, on Friday, 26 June, concerning the evolving maritime security situation in the Strait of Hormuz and the wider Middle East.

The Secretary-General requested that the briefing remain confidential to IMO Member States and participating organizations and not be shared with the media prior to his own press engagement. We are therefore pleased to pass on the key points of his briefing to our members for situational awareness.

Current Situation

The Secretary-General began by highlighting encouraging diplomatic developments following the recent Memorandum of Understanding reached between the Islamic Republic of Iran and the United States. He noted that the agreement includes provisions aimed at restoring commercial shipping through the Strait of Hormuz to pre-conflict levels and envisages the eventual reopening of the IMO-adopted Traffic Separation Scheme (TSS), subject to demining operations and an improvement in security conditions.

At present, however, the established TSS remains unsafe for navigation. Consequently, IMO continues to support temporary routing arrangements until normal operations can safely resume.

IMO Evacuation Framework

Acting on the guidance received from the IMO Council, the Secretary-General has made the safety of innocent seafarers his highest priority.

Working closely with the Sultanate of Oman, regional governments, industry stakeholders and relevant international partners, the IMO Secretariat established an emergency evacuation framework designed to facilitate the safe transit of vessels and, where necessary, the evacuation of seafarers from the Strait of Hormuz.

Two temporary navigation routes have been established:

•           A Northern Route, coordinated through the Iranian authorities.

•           A Southern Route, developed in close cooperation with the Sultanate of Oman.

The IMO has published the operational details, including routing coordinates and reporting procedures, on its dedicated Strait of Hormuz webpage. The Organization stressed that it does not instruct vessels which route to use but instead provides navigational information, leaving routing decisions to ship operators in consultation with the relevant coastal authorities.

Initial Success of the Framework

The Secretary-General reported that the evacuation framework was launched earlier this week and, between 23 and 26 June, approximately:

•           115 vessels transited safely through the Strait; and

•           Approximately 2,500 seafarers were successfully evacuated without incident under the coordinated framework.

He described these initial operations as encouraging and expressed appreciation to Oman and numerous regional and international partners whose cooperation made the initiative possible.

Temporary Suspension of the Evacuation Framework

Despite the early success, the Secretary-General announced that the IMO has temporarily paused the evacuation framework following developments over the past 24 hours that have significantly altered the risk assessment.

Among the factors influencing this decision were:

•           Reports of radio broadcasts by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) advising that vessels not using authorized routes could face legal action.

•           An incident involving a Singapore-flagged vessel transiting via the Southern Route that was reportedly struck in the Gulf of Oman.

Although the affected vessel was not operating under the IMO evacuation framework, the Secretary-General concluded that he could no longer guarantee the level of safety required for coordinated evacuations and therefore decided to suspend operations until further assurances can be obtained that participating vessels will not be targeted.

He emphasized that IMO will not place seafarers at unnecessary risk and that the suspension is purely a precautionary measure while discussions continue.

Continuing Engagement

The Secretary-General advised that discussions are continuing at the highest diplomatic levels.

He confirmed that:

•           The United Nations Secretary-General, António Guterres, is actively supporting IMO's efforts.

•           Oman continues to play a central coordinating role.

•           Numerous Member States are providing assistance and engaging constructively with the Secretariat.

•           IMO remains in continuous dialogue with Iran, the United States and other regional partners.

The Secretary-General stressed that the situation remains highly fluid and that not all information can be disclosed while negotiations continue.

Looking Ahead

While the formal evacuation framework has been suspended, commercial traffic through both temporary routes continues.

The Secretary-General noted that, on the morning of the briefing alone, several vessels had successfully transited both the northern and southern routes. This reinforces the importance of restoring coordinated reporting arrangements as quickly as possible to enhance navigational safety.

Looking beyond the immediate crisis, the Secretary-General indicated that IMO is also exploring longer-term cooperative mechanisms that could strengthen confidence, safety and traffic management in the Strait of Hormuz. While these would not replicate arrangements used elsewhere, such as those developed for the Strait of Malacca and Singapore, they could draw upon similar principles of international cooperation while fully respecting international law and the sovereign rights of the coastal States.

He emphasized that IMO is open to constructive proposals from Member States and industry and believes that creative, cooperative solutions will be required to restore normal shipping operations.

Concluding Remarks

In closing, the Secretary-General reiterated that the safety and welfare of seafarers remain IMO's overriding priority.

He reaffirmed his commitment to continue working tirelessly with Member States, the United Nations, regional governments and industry partners to restore safe navigation through the Strait of Hormuz while upholding freedom of navigation and minimizing disruption to global trade.

He also confirmed that Member States will receive a further update during the forthcoming IMO Council session, when the matter will be discussed in greater detail.

FONASBA will continue to monitor developments closely and will keep members informed of any significant updates as they become available.’’

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Emin EMİNOĞLU

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