The International Maritime Organisation (IMO) has told vessels stranded in the Gulf region not to move until they are directly contacted, as it begins implementing an evacuation plan for more than 11,000 seafarers caught up in the Strait of Hormuz crisis. 

The plan, being carried out in line with a decision of the IMO Council and in close coordination with member states and industry, is designed to move ships out of the region in a phased and controlled way, rather than allowing vessels to make their own way towards the Strait or to a waiting area. 

In operational guidance issued to vessels, the IMO said the immediate instruction was clear. Ships should remain in their current position and await further instructions. 

Vessels should not start navigating towards the Strait of Hormuz or towards the designated waiting area at this stage, the organisation said, explaining that a strict sequence is needed to avoid congestion, reduce the risk of collisions and manage dangers linked to mines and degraded navigation conditions. 

The message to shipmasters was therefore deliberately direct: do not move, wait to be contacted, and strictly follow the instructions issued by the relevant coastal states. 

Under the coordinated mechanism, vessel movements will only begin once ships are contacted through the IMO, UKMTO and the MICA Centre. That will then be followed by coordination with the relevant coastal state. 

The IMO said vessels do not need to proactively contact any authority. Instead, UKMTO and the MICA Centre will contact vessels directly, while in certain circumstances, and where necessary with the assistance of coastal states, ships may also be contacted through VHF channel 16, the international hailing and distress channel. 

Once contacted, a vessel will receive instructions to proceed to a designated waiting area and prepare for routing. After that notification, it may begin coordinating its preferred route with the relevant coastal state, either Iran or Oman, depending on the route chosen. 

For vessels that have not yet been contacted, the instruction is to wait. The IMO said ships will be contacted in due course, while the organisation continues to work to maintain an accurate picture of all vessels in the Gulf wishing to be evacuated. It is also coordinating with industry representative groups that have consultative status at the IMO. 

The waiting area has been designated in a three nautical mile radius of position 26-16.17N/055-46.52E, according to a Notice to Mariners issued by Oman. 

However, vessels must not proceed there without instruction. The IMO warned that crowding the waiting area would only force authorities to pause further notifications in the interest of navigational safety. 

The length of time vessels will remain in the waiting area will depend on sequencing and traffic management, although efforts are being made to keep delays as limited as possible. Once confirmation is received from the relevant coastal state, vessels may proceed on their selected route. 

After being contacted by UKMTO or the MICA Centre, ships will be able to choose between two routes to leave the Strait, subject to their own independent risk assessment. 

The northern route runs through waters coordinated by Iran, while the southern route runs through waters coordinated by Oman and the United States. Once a route has been chosen, vessels must coordinate with the relevant coastal state authority to ensure safe navigation. 

A change of route will only be possible if it is operationally feasible and properly coordinated with the authorities concerned. 

The IMO also made clear that it is not coordinating individual routing or maritime safety during the transit. Its role is to provide the overall framework for a phased departure, in the interest of safe navigation. 

Operational routing, traffic management and collision avoidance remain the responsibility of the coastal states. Iran is responsible for the northern route, while Oman and the United States are responsible for the southern route. 

Vessels wishing to coordinate their transit with the United States may continue to do so under the relevant JMIC advisory notices. 

The existing Traffic Separation Scheme should not be used, the IMO said, because of the reported presence of mines. Instead, navigation will be organised through specific routing instructions and corridors coordinated by the coastal states. 

The main risks remain mines, navigational constraints and high traffic density, making strict coordination essential to avoid collisions and allow safe passage through what the IMO described as a degraded maritime environment. 

The organisation said the necessary safety assurances had been secured before the plan was activated. However, that does not mean the movement of vessels will be automatic or uninterrupted. 

Traffic will be managed by the coastal states, namely Iran and Oman. Convoys will not be used systematically, although grouping of vessels may be introduced if coastal state authorities consider it necessary for safe navigation. 

Communication will also be tightly controlled. Each coastal state has issued instructions on how vessels should transit, including contact details and assigned channels. The IMO recommended strict adherence to those channels and said unnecessary transmissions should be avoided. 

For shipowners and masters, the responsibilities are also clear. They are expected to facilitate communication with UKMTO and the MICA Centre, wait for instructions before moving, coordinate their route choice with coastal authorities and follow all instructions issued. 

If the situation deteriorates, movements may be delayed, suspended or rerouted on the basis of updated risk assessments. 

The IMO also warned that any vessel which fails to follow the coordinated instructions will be operating outside the agreed framework and will assume full responsibility. 

For now, the operation depends as much on restraint as on movement. In one of the world’s most sensitive shipping lanes, the first safety instruction is not to sail, but to wait.