IMO says 25 seafarers killed in Hormuz since war began

The International Maritime Organization says at least 25 seafarers have been killed around the Strait of Hormuz since the war began on February 28, across at least 130 verified attacks on commercial vessels, with the latest death on the tanker Velos Sapphire on November 5.

Why it matters: The toll, confirmed as the IMO Council ended its five day session in London, is the official measure of the human cost of the shipping war that the naval blockade and the attacks on merchant vessels have created, and thousands of seafarers remain trapped in the Persian Gulf.

Data as of IMO Council 138th session, London, November 2 to 6, 2026. Marine Insight report of November 8, 2026, read in full in this run, for the toll, the attack count and the mid September comparison figure, sourced to the IMO via TASS, APA and Trend; India Shipping News report of November 7, 2026, seen in this run's search results, corroborates the Council session, Secretary General Dominguez's remarks and the Velos Sapphire death bringing the total to 25. The IMO's own press release was not read on imo.org in this run. This site last carried the toll at 24, on November 3.

At least 25 seafarers have lost their lives around the Strait of Hormuz since the war started on February 28, the International Maritime Organization said as its Council ended a five day session in London on Friday. The most recent death was a crew member on the tanker Velos Sapphire, attacked on November 5, and the IMO has verified at least 130 attacks on commercial ships in the region. The confirmed count stood at 22 in mid September and at 24 when this site last reported it on November 3.

Secretary General Arsenio Dominguez told the Council, which has 40 member states, that seafarers are still being killed and seriously injured, while others are abandoned and kept away from their homes. The Council reaffirmed its commitment to protecting the safety, security, health and wellbeing of seafarers and reiterated that vital shipping lanes should remain open, safe and secure. No figure was given for how many seafarers have been injured or are missing.

Thousands of seafarers remain trapped in the Persian Gulf on ships unable to leave; the IMO had earlier put that number at around 20,000 and gave no updated figure this week. The toll lands in the same week that US forces disabled another merchant vessel, the M/V Huda in the Gulf of Oman, for attempting to run the naval blockade of Iran, the enforcement action this site reported on Saturday.

IMO says 25 seafarers killed in Hormuz since war began

Sources