Iran Conflict — 2026-03-18
IMO Convenes Emergency Session as 3,200 Ships and 20,000 Seafarers Stranded at Hormuz
The IMO opened its 36th Extraordinary Council Session in London to address the Hormuz shipping crisis, with approximately 3,200 vessels and 20,000 seafarers stranded west of the strait. The 40-member council may vote on a proposed resolution to establish a safe maritime corridor for evacuation, though any resolution would be non-binding. Iran blamed the US and Israel for the crisis in its submission.
Analysis
The 0740 INTSUM tracked Hormuz daily transits dropping from ~21 tankers to ~8 non-Iranian vessels. The IMO session formalizes the crisis at an institutional level -- 3,200 stranded ships exceeds the 2021 Suez blockage by an order of magnitude in both duration and vessel count.
The 0740 INTSUM tracked Hormuz daily transits dropping from ~21 tankers to ~8 non-Iranian vessels. The IMO session formalizes the crisis at an institutional level -- 3,200 stranded ships exceeds the 2021 Suez blockage by an order of magnitude in both duration and vessel count.