The International Maritime Organization convened a special meeting to discuss the situation in the Gulf.

The 36th special meeting of the International Maritime Organization Council was held on the 18th at the headquarters of the International Maritime Organization in London, UK, to discuss the situation in the Gulf region, especially the situation in the Strait of Hormuz. The Secretary-General of the International Maritime Organization, Dominguez, urged all parties to work together to de-escalate the conflict and allow affected seafarers to safely leave the Gulf region. Dominguez said that at least 7 seafarers had lost their lives in recent attacks on commercial ships in the area of the Strait of Hormuz, with several others seriously injured. Currently, around 20,000 seafarers are still stranded on ships in the Persian Gulf, facing high risks and tremendous mental pressure. "Innocent seafarers or civilian ships should not become victims of a wider geopolitical tension." He stated that the current situation is unacceptable, and the current state of affairs is unsustainable. Geopolitics is pushing the shipping industry to its limits, and the entire world will be negatively impacted, from global economy to food security.