Oman has set up a temporary shipping transit corridor in the Strait of Hormuz in co-ordination with the UN’s International Maritime Organisation without imposing any fees, it said on Wednesday.
The IMO is working to evacuate more than 11,000 sailors stranded in the Gulf due to the war caused by US and Israeli strikes against Iran. A ceasefire has been in place since April 8.
Maritime officials have begun contacting some of the 500 to 600 stranded vessels and instructing them to prepare to transit. The Royal Navy of Oman said the “gradual and controlled evacuation” was negotiated by Oman, Iran and the US with the IMO.
The first vessels could begin moving through the strait “pretty soon”, the IMO said. Ships are being assigned phased departure dates and directed to waiting areas in international waters, before being cleared to transit. The IMO said it would publish daily figures showing how many vessels have left the Gulf.
An IMO spokeswoman said the operation was intended to relieve the pressure on thousands of seafarers who had spent months trapped in a conflict zone.
“They're not military, they're not trained for these things. They're seafarers from India, the Philippines – it's been quite a challenge. That's why we're trying to evacuate them as soon as possible,” she told The National.
The Omani Maritime Security Centre said the move to open a corridor aimed to ensure freedom of navigation through the waterway and to support the global economy.
Two temporary maritime routes have been established, one north and one south of the existing Traffic Separation Scheme, the main shipping lane through the strait. The IMO said the original route could not be used due to security concerns. Reports indicate that dozens of mines remain in the centre of the waterway.
The initiative conforms to the initial agreement for further peace talks that the US and Iran signed on June 17. The temporary maritime corridor is defined by co-ordinates issued by the IMO and Omani authorities.
“Ships wishing to transit through the corridor must co-ordinate with the IMO,” the statement said. Oman would allow them to transit “without imposing any tolls”, it added, citing the agreement.
Oman's navy said the sultanate was committed to maintaining freedom of navigation through the strait without levying fees on vessels using the temporary route.
in a joint statement
“Each shipowner and master remains responsible for conducting an independent risk assessment prior to voyage,” Sub Lt Muadh Al Harrasi of the Royal Navy of Oman said in guidance issued to mariners through the IMO.
Under the pact, the US and Iran agreed to lift blockades they imposed during the war, with the American navy intercepting ships using Iranian ports in response to Iranian attacks on commercial vessels in the waterway.
One obstacle preventing some vessels from departing has been uncertainty over insurance coverage. The IMO said the agreement and safe-passage arrangement “does give a little bit more certainty for the insurance companies”, potentially allowing more operators to authorise departures.
On Wednesday, Oman's Sultan Haitham held talks with Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman on the US-Iran talks and the latest developments, state television reported.
During their meeting, Sultan Haitham stressed the need to advance these efforts to achieve security and stability in the region.
Their talks came a day after Iran's top negotiator, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, and Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi met Sultan Haitham in Muscat.
During that meeting, Oman and Iran agreed to establish a joint working group to reach an agreement on the future management of navigation in the strait, they said in a joint statement.
Oman and Iran affirmed “their commitment to ensuring safe passage through the Strait in accordance with the relevant provisions of international law,” the statement said. They also emphasised “their sovereignty and sovereign rights over their territorial waters in the Strait of Hormuz”.
“The two sides agreed to continue dialogue on this matter through a joint working group between the two countries' foreign ministries to reach an agreement on the future management of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz, the services to be provided in this regard, and the associated costs, in accordance with international standards,” it said.
“All arrangements related to the strait must fully respect the sovereignty and sovereign rights” of the two countries, it added.
The IMO said months of negotiations had been required before the operation could go ahead. The co-operation of all parties was “fundamental” to the agreement, the organisation said.
“We could only proceed when there were safety and security guarantees in place and it was safe to proceed,” the spokeswoman said. “When that was received from the main states, we were able to initiate it.”
IMO Secretary General Arsenio Dominguez, who paid tribute to 14 seafarers killed during the conflict, said the evacuation would be carried out “in close co-operation with Iran, Oman, all other coastal states in the region, the United States and the maritime industry”.
“We have secured the necessary safety guarantees and have thoroughly verified the conditions for safe navigation to support these operations,” he said.
The strait is vital to energy exports from the Arabian Gulf. More than 20 per cent of global liquefied natural gas and crude oil passed through the waterway each day before the war between the US and Iran broke out on February 28.
