Royal Navy's UKMTO warns of 'imminent humanitarian crisis' as Hormuz traffic falls 90%, 20,000 seafarers stranded
The Royal Navy's UK Maritime Trade Operations centre warned of an 'imminent humanitarian crisis' in the Strait of Hormuz on Friday, reporting traffic has collapsed by more than 90% — fewer than 10 ships a day from 130 before the war — with about 20,000 seafarers stranded on roughly 850-870 vessels at anchor in the Gulf. The UN refugee agency UNHCR reported a 17%+ jump in shipping rates and warned aid operations in Sudan, the Horn of Africa and DRC are increasingly disrupted.
The UK Maritime Trade Operations centre, run by the Royal Navy, warned of an 'imminent humanitarian crisis' in the Strait of Hormuz on Friday, reporting that maritime traffic has collapsed by more than 90% to fewer than 10 vessels a day, from about 130 before the war. Around 20,000 seafarers are stranded with no immediate prospect of relief or repatriation, and between 850 and 870 ships are now at anchor in the Gulf. UKMTO has logged 41 incidents since 1 March, including 26 drone, missile or small-arms attacks on civilian crews, and more than 20 vessels have been damaged or have suffered casualties trying to force the passage. The centre also flagged 'a resurgence of piracy off the Somali coast.'
'The most distressing calls are from ships under attack,' UKMTO operations chief Commander Jo Black said in the statement. 'It is an absolutely terrifying experience for them — they are civilians, they are not prepared for this: drones, missiles, small-arms fire on their bridge or their engine room.'
The strait, which normally carries roughly a fifth of the world's hydrocarbon consumption, remains under a dual Iranian-American blockade. The UN refugee agency UNHCR reported on Friday that shipping rates from its three main aid-supply countries — India, Pakistan and China — have risen nearly 18%, while the response capacity of its usual carriers has dropped from 97% at the start of the year to 77%. 'Each additional dollar spent on fuel and war-risk insurance is a dollar less for humanitarian aid on the ground,' the agency said. UNHCR has rerouted cargo via the Jordanian Red Sea port of Aqaba and is leaning on overland routes from Dubai to the Arabian Peninsula and Turkey.
The impact is sharpest in Africa, UNHCR spokesperson Carlotta Wolf said. Higher Kenyan fuel prices have delayed shipments out of one of the agency's seven global stockpile hubs to Ethiopia, the Democratic Republic of Congo and South Sudan. In Sudan, the cost of delivering aid has roughly doubled in recent months, with the diversion of cargo around the Cape of Good Hope adding up to 25 days to delivery timelines. UNHCR needs $8.5 billion for its operations this year and is only 23% funded.
On the diplomatic track, French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot said in Abu Dhabi that the Franco-British Hormuz mission was at an 'advanced' stage and 'is being finalised,' with about 50 countries committing to capacity for de-mining or convoy escort. Iran said it had submitted a new negotiation proposal to the United States via Pakistani mediators on Thursday evening, according to state agency IRNA, but Iranian foreign-ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei called a quick result 'highly unrealistic.'
On costs, Pentagon comptroller Jules Hurst told Congress this week the US bill for the Iran war stood at $25 billion to date. CBS and CNN, citing anonymous Pentagon sources, have put the real figure at $40-50 billion when battlefield equipment losses and broader economic effects are included; Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi alleged on X that the true cost is closer to $100 billion. Brent crude traded at $112.10 a barrel on Friday morning in Paris, up 1.5%, with US WTI at $106.08.