Jamaine Punzalan

Article (news)

Agence France-Presse

<div><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:960px;display:block" width="960"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1778193563934Screenshot 2026-05-08 at 6.39.09 AM.png" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" width="960"/><span class="fr-inner" style="text-align:left"></span></span></span></div><p>A person points at a page on the Marinetraffic website that shows commercial boats traffic on the edge of the Strait of Hormuz near the Iranian coast, in Paris on March 4, 2026. Photo by Julien De Rosa/AFP</p><div><br/></div><p>Around 1,500 ships and their crews are trapped in the Gulf due to the Iranian blockade in the Strait of Hormuz, the UN&#x27;s International Maritime Organization (IMO) chief said in Panama Thursday.</p><p>The war in the Middle East, unleashed February 28 by Israel and the United States against Iran, provoked reprisals from Tehran across the region and a shipping blockade in Hormuz, a crucial global trade route.</p><p>&quot;Right now, we have approximately 20,000 crewmen and around 1,500 ships trapped,&quot; IMO secretary-general Arsenio Dominguez told the Maritime Convention of the Americas.</p><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/world/2026/5/5/iran-warns-not-even-started-in-hormuz-1828">READ: Iran warns &#x27;not even started&#x27; in Hormuz </a></div><p>Dominguez said that maritime shipping moves over 80 percent of total consumed products in the world.</p><p>The stranded crew members &quot;are innocent people who are doing their jobs every day for the benefit of other countries,&quot; but &quot;are trapped by geopolitical situations outside their control,&quot; Dominguez told the gathering of industry executives and IMO representatives.</p><p>&quot;Ten sailors have lost their lives&quot; in more than 30 attacks on vessels, he later told reporters.</p><p>The IMO chief urged avoiding sending vessels to the Gulf so as not to increase the death toll among sailors or incur further economic losses.</p><p>Before the conflict&#x27;s outbreak, a fifth of the world&#x27;s total petroleum and gas passed through the Strait of Hormuz. The closure has led to a significant global surge in the price of hydrocarbons.</p><p>On Monday, US President Donald Trump announced a naval operation to escort the trapped ships and force the opening of the strait, but<a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/world/2026/5/6/us-pauses-hormuz-escorts-in-bid-for-deal-as-threats-continue-0951"> called off the push shortly after.</a></p><p>Washington is now waiting for an Iranian response to proposals for ending the war and reopening the Strait of Hormuz.</p><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/world/2026/5/6/trump-urges-iran-to-do-the-smart-thing-0200">Trump urges Iran to &#x27;do the smart thing&#x27; </a><br/><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/world/2026/5/5/us-iran-ceasefire-on-brink-as-uae-reports-attacks-0905">US-Iran ceasefire on brink as UAE reports attacks </a></div><div><span class="fr-video fr-deletable fr-fvc fr-dvb fr-draggable" contenteditable="false" draggable="true"><iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/iM046fTNw4k?&amp;wmode=opaque&amp;rel=0" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable"></iframe></span><span class="fr-video fr-deletable fr-fvc fr-dvb fr-draggable" contenteditable="false" draggable="true"><iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/cGG-PjwUOqQ?&amp;wmode=opaque&amp;rel=0" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable"></iframe></span><br/></div>

<p>Around 1,500 ships and their crews are trapped in the Gulf due to the Iranian blockade in the Strait of Hormuz, the UN's International Maritime Organization (IMO) chief said in Panama Thursday.</p>

Around 1,500 ships and their crews are trapped in the Gulf due to the Iranian blockade in the Strait of Hormuz, the UN's International Maritime Organization (IMO) chief said in Panama Thursday.

Some 1,500 ships trapped in Gulf due to Iran conflict: IMO

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Some 1,500 ships trapped in Gulf due to Iran conflict: IMO

Agence France-Presse

Published May 08, 2026 06:42 AM PHT

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