HK Shipowners: up to 80 HK vessels still stranded in Strait of Hormuz

The Hong Kong Shipowners' Association reveals around 80 vessels flying Hong Kong flags remain stranded in or near the Strait of Hormuz.

While the group notes their seafarers in the volatile waterway are safe, it says there are no alternative waterways for these ships to reroute -- at least for now.

The Strait of Hormuz has yet to fully reopen six months after the conflict erupted in the Middle East.

In an earlier report, a Chinese ship captain stranded in the strategic waterway described dwindling food supplies and said the body of a deceased crew member is kept in a freezer.

The Hong Kong Shipowners' Association says more than 80 member ships are still waiting to pass through the strait.

They say most crew members are not from Hong Kong and conditions are not as severe as some reports have suggested.

Chairman, HK Shipowners' Association Richard Hext: "During the ceasefire window, we estimate that about 20 to 30 of those vessels were able to leave the area safely. So our current working estimate is that there are roughly 70 to 80 Hong Kong Shipowner Association member ships with around 1,400 to 1,600 seafarers on board remaining in or near the conflict zone."

Deputy Chairman, HK Shipowners' Association Kenneth Lam: "For the ships that are stuck and for the seamen that are stuck in the gulf, they are at least provided with the necessary provisions and the necessary help. So in these kinds of cases, from the Hong Kong Shipowners' point of view, money is not an object so we will continue to treat our seafarers well."

The industry says there is no practical alternative shipping lanes for these vessels to reroute to, so they can only wait for the conflict to ease off.

The industry adds that war-risk insurance premiums have surged between five and ten times the pre-conflict levels.

Apart from addressing the fallout from the gulf, the Hong Kong Shipowners' Association also submitted recommendations to the government related to the city's Five-Year Plan and Policy Address.

They include scrapping the current three-year holding requirement for tax exemption on profits from vessel sales.

Another suggestion from the body is to accelerate the transition to shore power for ships at berth, cutting emissions while expanding green shipping corridors

with other major ports.

It also hopes the government can step up international cooperation to uphold core maritime values such as freedom of navigation.