Agency official warns ships and seafarers are "sitting targets" as navigation and trade are disrupted

An Agency official warned that ships operating in a regional strait are at immediate risk and described crews as "sitting targets," saying the situation has deteriorated and that members of the maritime community are unable to safely disembark.

"You don't know what's going to happen with you and with your ship. Uh because unfortunately they're sitting targets," the Agency official said, adding that "as of today, the conditions have not improved" and reporting a recent incident involving a toboat that was assisting another vessel and was targeted.

According to the speaker, about 3,000 vessels and 20,000 seafarers are currently caught in the region. The official said there is "no freedom of navigation," that seafarers have limited options to disembark and that port facilities are being targeted, which undermines repatriation efforts.

The official said the agency is "working very closely with our partners, the member states as well as the industry," including developing guidance "on how to support seafares remotely." The speaker framed those steps as immediate mitigation while on-the-ground assistance is constrained.

The speaker cautioned that prolonged disruption will increasingly affect the global economy, stating that "we've seen now the price of oil increase by 17%." The official also said restrictions on goods—particularly food supplies to communities in the region—are already evident and warned that broader trade disruptions will produce negative effects elsewhere.

The claims and figures quoted above were presented by the Agency official during the statement; the speaker did not identify themselves or their organization on the record in the transcript. The official said partners and industry are coordinating guidance and support but did not provide a timetable for further action or verification of the numeric figures cited.

No formal action, vote or policy decision was recorded in this statement.