The International Maritime Organisation (IMO) will convene an “extraordinary session” next week to discuss threats to shipping in the Middle East and particularly in the Strait of Hormuz, the agency said Thursday.
The meeting, scheduled for March 18-19 at the IMO headquarters in London, was requested by six of IMO’s 40 members: Britain, Egypt, France, Morocco, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates, AFP reported.
It comes amidst fears about the choking off of global energy supplies triggering rocketing energy prices.
The Strait of Hormuz — through which a fifth of global crude passes — has effectively shut down by Iranian retaliatory attacks against ships and its Gulf neighbours.
On Thursday, an attack on two oil tankers off Iraq killed at least one crew member, while a cargo ship caught fire after being hit by shrapnel.
