The secretary general of the UN's International Maritime Organization (IMO), Arsenio Dominguez, said on Thursday that approximately 20,000 crewmen and around 1,500 ships are trapped in the Gulf due to the Iranian blockade in the Strait of Hormuz. The war in the Middle East, which began on February 28, has provoked reprisals from Tehran, including the shipping blockade in Hormuz, a crucial global trade route.

The stranded crew members are innocent people who are doing their jobs, but are trapped by geopolitical situations outside their control, Dominguez said. He added that maritime shipping moves over 80 percent of total consumed products in the world.

Before the conflict's outbreak, a fifth of the world's total petroleum and gas passed through the Strait of Hormuz, and the closure has led to a significant global surge in the price of hydrocarbons.

The US has proposed ending the war and reopening the Hormuz strait, and is now waiting for an Iranian response. The US President had earlier announced a naval operation to escort the trapped ships and force the opening of the strait, but called it off shortly after. The situation is being closely monitored, and the IMO will continue to work with industry executives and governments to resolve the crisis.