Paris is trying to rally support to form a United Nations coalition to secure navigation in the Middle East, but French Transport Minister Philippe Tabarro announced that around 60 French ships are currently stuck in waters of the Gulf and Red Sea.
He said in a statement to French media today (Friday) that there are approximately 50 ships in the Gulf, specifically 52 ships, and eight ships in the Red Sea, and many of these ships have French sailors on board, so we are in constant contact with their crews.
The war disrupted global trade through the Strait of Hormuz, a major artery through which about 20% of the world’s oil and gas supplies pass. The strait has not yet been closed, but Iran has warned that it will fire on any ships that try to cross the strait.
The International Maritime Organization said it was concerned about about 20,000 seafarers in the region since the conflict began on Saturday, and that at least nine ships had been damaged in attacks.
Dozens of ships remain anchored in international waters off the Gulf oil-producing nation’s coasts, and dozens of oil tankers remain anchored within the strait, ship tracking data showed.
Greek seafarers yesterday (Thursday) launched a 24-hour strike that led to the suspension of local ferry services in solidarity with the crew of a ship stranded in the Gulf amid the escalation of war in the Middle East, demanding that a state of dangerous war be declared in the region to allow these crews to return home.
As Paris seeks to rally support for forming a United Nations coalition to secure navigation in the Middle East, French Transport Minister Philippe Tabarro announced that around 60 French ships are currently stranded in waters of the Gulf and Red Sea.
In a statement to the French media today (Friday), the Prime Minister said that there are approximately 50 ships in the Gulf waters, specifically 52 ships, and eight ships in the Red Sea, and that some of these ships have French sailors on board, so we are in constant contact with their crews.
The war disrupted global trade through the Strait of Hormuz, a major artery through which about 20% of the world’s oil and gas supplies pass. The strait has not yet been closed, but Iran has threatened to open fire on ships attempting to pass through it.
The International Maritime Organization said it was concerned about about 20,000 seafarers in the region and that at least nine ships had been damaged in the attacks since the conflict began on Saturday.
Tracking data showed dozens of ships were still anchored in international waters off the Gulf oil-producing nation’s coast, and dozens of oil tankers were in the strait.
Greek sailors began a 24-hour strike yesterday (Thursday), suspending local ferry services in solidarity with the crew of a ship stranded in the Gulf as the war in the Middle East escalates. It called for a declaration of a dangerous situation of war in the region so that these crews could return home.
