IMO Draws Up Hormuz Evacuation Plan For 800 Ships Trapped In Gulf

Tanker traffic through the Hormuz chokepoint remained muted as of Tuesday morning, with maritime movement still far below pre-US-Iran conflict levels. The ship backlog in the Persian Gulf has now swelled to a staggering 800 vessels, underscoring the scale of the disruption, while the International Maritime Organization is reportedly drawing up evacuation plans for stranded ships.

Bloomberg quoted the Secretary-General of the IMO, Arsenio Dominguez, who stated on the sidelines of Singapore Maritime Week earlier today that the IMO is preparing a humanitarian evacuation of 800 ships stranded in the Persian Gulf after the nearly two-month conflict.

“In order for us to do anything at all, we need to make sure that the conflict has come to an end, that there are no threats of any ships being attacked, and that the region is clear from any hazards, including mines,” Dominguez said.

The proposed evacuation plan would prioritize ship departures based in part on how long crews have been stranded in the Persian Gulf, with vessels using the long-established Traffic Separation Scheme through the strait.

Dominguez said the effort is focused on evacuating seafarers, not necessarily protecting cargo values, describing it as a humanitarian corridor rather than a commercial reopening.

“This is about the seafarers. This is about the people,” Dominguez said. “Because if we actually start looking into the cargo, the values, the commodities, et cetera, then this is not going to work. The decision of the council was very clear. It’s a humanitarian corridor to evacuate the seafarers from the region.”

The Hormuz situation has been made worse in recent days as Iran’s military vowed to retaliate after the U.S. Navy fired on and seized an Iranian-flagged cargo ship near the maritime chokepoint. The U.S. naval blockade of the strait is still ongoing.

Since the commencement of the blockade against ships entering or exiting Iranian ports and coastal areas, U.S. forces have directed 27 vessels to turn around or return to an Iranian port. pic.twitter.com/G8dl96wN4H

— U.S. Central Command (@CENTCOM) April 20, 2026

Since the start of the blockade, the U.S. military has directed 27 ships to turn back or return to an Iranian port, according to CENTCOM on X.

There have been five passenger ships that steamed through the strait during its temporary opening last week. There was a report from Lloyd’s List that said more than two dozen Iranian-linked ships have evaded the blockade.

Meanwhile, the U.S.-Iran two-week ceasefire is set to expire on Wednesday, as Vice President JD Vance and other U.S. negotiators are set to travel to Pakistan for a new round of peace talks.