00:00Mr. Secretary, thank you so much for being back with us. I know last time we spoke
00:04that number of stranded seafarers was was higher, I think. Has it come down at all?
00:09Is 20,000 about right? And how are these individuals doing?
00:15No, 20,000 is about right. And of course, there's been very little movement around the
00:20Strait of Hormuz. So we're still very concerned with the health and the well-being of these
00:25seafarers. The longer that this conflict continues, the more that the stress and fatigue
00:30starts to kick in. Also, the supplies on the ships. And this is one of the areas where they're really
00:35working with the littoral states in the Persian Gulf in order to at least, with all the challenges
00:41that exist right now, to provide those essential goods that the seafarers and the ships need
00:46in order to stay safe. Can I ask a really dumb question? Why can't they just go into port?
00:51Why can't they find safe harbors to go into? Why do they have to stay on the water? Is it
00:55a
00:55permitting issue? Is it a size issue? Why can't they come in?
01:00We're talking about nearly or around 2,000 vessels. And of course, there's not enough capacity for all
01:06these vessels in the ports in the area, as well as the fact that even some of those force facilities
01:12may be targeted as well. And the reality is that there will not be space for all those ships to
01:18dock at the same time. There's also not a possibility to carry out crew changes right
01:22now, a very limited one, particularly because there are other disruptions, including air
01:27transportation. Plus, it will be very difficult to actually have volunteer seafarers that would
01:32like to go and move into a ship that is still in a conflict area. And I wouldn't blame any
01:38seafarers not wanting to go there.
01:40Yeah, it's not safe or even viable to swap out the crews. I mean, I guess that makes sense. So
01:45what do you do? Is the UN working on an evacuation plan? Are you trying to coordinate with these
01:50countries? Because at the start of this, when we first started speaking, these ships were going on
01:55voyages that were going to take a little bit of time. So they did have some supplies, but they have
01:59to be running low by now. And I would imagine this is getting pretty urgent that you need to either
02:03get those ships moving or get those seafarers out of there.
02:07Oh, that's correct. And that's why de-escalation, it's the main message that I will maintain,
02:13because that would allow us to continue to go back to the trade as we know it in the Strait
02:17of
02:17Hormuz. The reality right now is that we're very grateful to the countries in the region that they
02:21continue to provide, with the challenges, some supplies to these vessels for the seafarers to keep
02:26going. That's also the fact that even remotely, the companies, the ship owners and ship operators,
02:31as well as the countries, are providing that assistance in order to address mental health
02:36and fatigue, and making the communications between the seafarers and their families just
02:41to keep them informed as well. And we are getting information and stories from the seafarers of the
02:46ordeal that they're actually experiencing there. I've seen some of them calling into some of our
02:51sister competing networks. Some of the captains have been doing some interviews. But I mean,
02:55I would imagine that's difficult, too. Communications aren't incredibly reliable when you're on that
03:00kind of vessel. Are you doing anything? Last time you said you were concerned about their mental health.
03:05Is there anything being done? Are there people they can talk to through their companies? Or are they
03:09just trying to hang in there until they can get home and see their loved ones?
03:14No, there are actions that the companies and the countries that actually are taking on board with
03:18this. There are some countries that have installed and established helplines 24-7 for the seafarers to have
03:24that communications. Other companies are providing that expertise remotely as well for the seafarers.
03:30What we're also doing on behalf of the member states at the IMO is that last week during the
03:36externalization of the Council, we agreed to move forward in establishing an evacuation mechanism or a
03:42corridor in order to start allowing those ships to sail through the Strait of Hormuz.
03:46And it's one of those diplomatic conversations and negotiations that I'm starting to carry out,
03:51particularly with all the countries involved in the region.
03:54How would that work? Can you give us any details of how that evacuation humanitarian
03:58corridor would work? Because you would, in theory, need to get Iran's sign-on for that, correct?
04:04Absolutely. And it's one of the first countries that I'm starting the conversations with,
04:08together with all the other countries in the region and countries beyond the region. Because
04:12the reality is that this conflict, and by bringing shipping to a standstill, it affecting us all
04:17globally. So right now, the first steps is, of course, how we're going to bring the parties
04:22together in order to allow us to follow through with the decision at IMO last week. We can carry
04:29out the operational aspects. The traffic separation schemes, which is like a corridor for the ships to
04:34move in and out in this area, already exist since 1968. So for us, it's very simple to actually put
04:41this in operation. What we need is the political will and the compromises for the countries in order
04:47for the ships to start sailing, starting with those that have been there running short on supplies and
04:53that need some evacuations or seafarers that need some further assistance.
04:57The U.S. has offered to do military escorts of some of these ships through the strait.
05:01Do you think that would help or hinder this plan for a humanitarian corridor? Do you think that would
05:06make it harder for Iran to accept, or do you think that would make it easier to facilitate
05:10the evacuation of these ships? Well, one of the concerns that I keep repeating in relation to
05:16naval escorts or merchant ships is that it doesn't eliminate 100 percent the risk of a ship being
05:22targeted by a drone or a missile. And that would put the life of seafarers at risk, something that we
05:28cannot accept. So what we're working on is in the operational aspects in the diplomacy. Also, we need to
05:35remember that the Strait of Hormuz is quite narrow. In the shortest area, it's around just over 30 kilometers
05:42wide. There needs to be very proper coordination and cooperation between any countries that will rely or will
05:48provide this kind of assistance. But it is not sustainable and it's not a long term solution.
05:53It also sounds to me like you're saying you think it's safer to have a diplomatic agreed to humanitarian corridor
05:59that
06:00Iran and other parties have signed on to rather than a military escort with the U.S.'s help.
06:07Absolutely. It's for years, for decades, the Strait of Hormuz have been operating ships in and out without any issues.
06:14All the technical measures and operational measures have been in place for a while.
06:19And every single mariner knows what to do whenever they get to the Strait of Hormuz and how to trade
06:24in the region.
06:24What we need is to de-escalate, allow shipping to continue to operate as normal.
06:30And that is something that we can do through diplomacy and negotiations.
06:34I also want to ask you about your communications with Iran. Are you speaking to them directly?
06:39Are you speaking to them through intermediaries? And are you speaking to the U.S. directly or through intermediaries?
06:45I speak to all the member states of IMO. And of course, that includes the United States and the Islamic
06:50Republic of Iran.
06:51They have permanent representations here in London. And I maintain contact, continuous conversations with them face to face, remotely, you
07:00name it.
07:01The main task that I will carry out here is as well as maintain that role into bringing the parties
07:07together, having the conversations,
07:10finding the ways that we can agree on how to assist the vessels, because every single country at IMO repeated
07:17the same message.
07:17We should not be affecting negatively shipping because of these geopolitical situations.
07:23We need to respect freedom of navigation. And seafetters have to be protected and not to be used as collateral
07:29damage.
07:30President Trump has said Iran let a tanker or two through. Is that accurate? Have you seen any kind of
07:36movement?
07:37We are tracking movement around the Strait of Hormuz. Of course, before the conflict started, there was around, on average,
07:45130 vessels that would pass every day.
07:48Right now, those numbers are very limited, from two to five.
07:52And there are some conversations between the Islamic Republic of Iran and other countries in order to get some agreements
07:59for some ships to actually sail through.
08:02I also want to ask, we've talked about the humans on these ships, but there is also concern about some
08:07of the cargo on these ships, including fertilizer and other perishable goods.
08:12Some of it could become unstable and dangerous. Some of it could be rotting in these cargo holds.
08:17How big of a concern is that? And is that likely at this point? And what do you do about
08:21that?
08:23Right now, those are the reasons why we always will need to have seafetters on board the vessels, because they
08:28can manage those situations and take any operational necessary action.
08:33But, of course, the main concern continues to be the supplies.
08:36And once we actually have this evacuation corridor in place, then we can take on board all those concerns in
08:42relation to the cargoes that are on board and which are the first ships that need to sail through the
08:48Strait of Hormuz.
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