WSC warns of risks experienced by seafarers and navigation in the Middle East

The president and CEO of the World Shipping Council, Joe Kramek, warned, this Wednesday (11), of the risks that vessels and their crews face when sailing through the Middle East.

He said that around 20,000 seafarers in the region face a highly uncertain security situation because of the war between the United States, Israel and Iran and involving other countries.

Kramek recalled that several commercial vessels had been hit since the start of the conflict and that several crew members had been killed. “Seafarers are not part of this conflict, but they are increasingly involved in it. They are men and women who are simply doing their work at sea,” said the WSC leader.

He called on the International Maritime Organization (IMO) to take measures to ensure the protection of seafarers and respect for freedom of navigation and stated that the safety of crews must be the absolute priority. “Our thoughts are with the sailors who lost their lives, their families and the crews still operating in the region in extremely difficult and dangerous conditions,” Kramek said.