IMO convenes extraordinary session on Hormuz shipping crisis — 3,200 vessels and 20,000 seafarers trapped west of strait

The International Maritime Organization convened its 36th Extraordinary Council Session (C/ES.36) on March 18-19, 2026 at IMO Headquarters in London to address the severe disruption to global shipping caused by the US-Israel war on Iran. In advance of the session, the IMO disclosed that roughly 3,200 vessels carrying approximately 20,000 seafarers are currently confined west of the Strait of Hormuz, unable to transit due to Iranian threats and ongoing military operations in the area. The scale of vessel entrapment represents one of the largest maritime crises in history. The session agenda includes establishing a safe maritime corridor to allow the safe evacuation of seafarers and ships stranded in the Persian Gulf, according to the Guardian. The session was convened to address the impacts on shipping and seafarers of the situation in the Arabian Sea, the Sea of Oman and the Gulf region, particularly around the Strait of Hormuz. The Strait of Hormuz is the world's most critical oil chokepoint, with roughly 20% of global oil trade passing through it. Iran has threatened to close the strait and its parliament speaker Ghalibaf warned it would not return to pre-war status. The US struck Iranian anti-ship missile sites near the strait on Day 19 using 5,000-pound bunker-buster munitions. The IMO session signals the global community is treating the Hormuz shipping crisis as a full humanitarian and economic emergency.