Industry officials say the ongoing war in Ukraine has left more than 100 foreign ships stranded at sea, short of food and medicine.
They face the difficulty of setting up sea lanes to exit those areas.
The United Nations shipping network has said a safe sea route will be set up to evacuate crew on board merchant ships in the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov.
But there has been little progress. Five ships off the coast of Ukraine have been hit by missiles. One of them was reported to have drowned. About 140 ships from 20 countries are said to be in the area.
The Ukrainian war has left more than a thousand of their employees stranded.
