msc croisières — Three cadets from the Institut maritime du Québec are aboard two Groupe Desgagnés vessels anchored in the Persian Gulf after the Strait of Hormuz was closed by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, the institute said in a written statement Friday (ET). The trainees are on the Rosaire A. Desgagnés and the Miena Desgagnés, both flagged in Barbados and waiting to discharge cargo near Mugharraq, United Arab Emirates, and Al Jubail, Saudi Arabia. The Institute said the students are under sustained supervision and that families and the shipowner have been contacted.
Key facts on the ground
Three students from the IMQ’s Navigation program are on board the two Groupe Desgagnés heavy transport vessels currently immobilized in the region. The vessels are anchored as they await permission to unload. The Institut maritime du Québec (IMQ), based in Rimouski, confirmed the trainees have no operational responsibility while on board and are in a learning role under crew supervision.
The International Maritime Organization (IMO) has put the scale of the disruption at roughly 20, 000 mariners and 15, 000 passengers currently unable to move in the gulf, a figure released March 5 (ET). The IMO also links seven ship-related incidents in the wider area to two deaths and six injuries. The closure of the Strait of Hormuz by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps has been identified as the immediate cause of the stoppage of commercial traffic in the corridor.
Msc Croisières and reactions from maritime officials
Institutional and company statements emphasize supervision and safety for trainees. “The trainees are well supervised by the crew and by IMQ and they feel safe, ” the Institut maritime du Québec wrote in its statement Friday (ET). Serge Le Guellec, identified in company materials as a senior advisor to the board and chief executive of Groupe Desgagnés, has been linked with the company’s communications about the vessels’ status.
From a separate group of mariners, Ludovic Gérard, President of Knutsen LNG France, described conditions on one detained tanker: “The crew’s morale is good. ” Gérard’s comment reflects the varied experiences across ships held in the area; several vessels report anxiety while crews remain on board their ships as operations pause.
Context and what comes next
These events form part of a wider disruption to Gulf shipping since the Strait of Hormuz was shut by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, halting a critical maritime route. The two Groupe Desgagnés ships involved are heavy-transport vessels flagged in Barbados and are among thousands waiting to resume commercial activity. The IMQ says it is keeping regular contact with the cadets and their families and is coordinating with the shipowner while the situation remains static.
Authorities in the region will determine when transit can safely resume; meanwhile, the IMO numbers underline the scale of the human and commercial logjam. Updates are expected in the coming days as port and maritime authorities, shipowners and training institutions monitor permissions to unload and to reopen the corridor. The presence of trainees on board is being handled as a training placement under supervision, and the IMQ says it will keep families informed as developments occur — and msc croisières remains a referenced name in industry conversations as officials track movements and safety for crews and passengers (ET).
