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At least 20 seafarers and port workers have been killed in 68 confirmed maritime incidents in the Gulf and surrounding waters during six months of war between Iran and the U.S. and Israel, according to the International Maritime Organization (IMO).
The U.N. maritime agency said another 35 people were wounded and one remained missing. The 68 incidents amount to an average of one every 2.6 days, with the Strait of Hormuz at the center of disruptions to commercial shipping and vital oil and gas routes.
The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations classified 47 of the incidents as attacks.
About half involved tankers, while container ships accounted for 20% and bulk carriers 15%.
Liberia-flagged vessels were the most affected, with 13 incidents, followed by Panama- and Marshall Islands-flagged ships with 10 each. Iranian-flagged vessels were involved in four incidents.
From the outbreak of war in late February until a framework for peace negotiations was agreed in mid-June, incidents occurred about once every 2.3 days.
That period accounted for 16 deaths and 19 injuries, with incidents recorded across the Gulf, including east and west of Hormuz and off Iraq, Iran, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Oman and the United Arab Emirates.
As peace negotiations continued until around July 7, the rate fell to one incident every 4.6 days. No deaths, injuries or missing persons were reported during that period.
Four of the five incidents occurred off Oman near the narrowest part of the Strait of Hormuz, along a route not authorized by Iranian authorities.
Iran, which seeks to retain control over Hormuz after the war and charge vessels for passage, had warned ships against using the alternative route.
Since negotiations broke down, incidents have increased to an average of one every 2.8 days, close to pre-talk levels.
Four seafarers or other workers have been killed, 16 injured and one reported missing during the renewed escalation.
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