UN maritime agency pauses Hormuz ship evacuation after vessel attack
8 reported
The International Maritime Organization has paused its efforts to evacuate ships and seafarers stranded in the Middle East Gulf after a container ship was struck by an unknown projectile near the coast of Oman on Thursday. A U.S. official told MS Now that Iran was behind the attack. The IMO initiative, launched on Tuesday, was aimed at supporting hundreds of stranded ships and thousands of seafarers to sail out of the Gulf using either a northern route via Iranian waters or a southern route via Omani waters with U.S. oversight. The evacuation plan will be temporarily paused to reconfirm safety guarantees, according to IMO Secretary-General Arsenio Dominguez. The attacked vessel carried a Singapore flag and was owned by shipping giant Evergreen, but did not transit under the IMO evacuation framework, Dominguez said. The pause comes as traffic through the Strait of Hormuz has partially recovered following a U.S.-Iran interim peace deal, though it remains well below pre-war levels.
What’s reported
The International Maritime Organization paused its evacuation plan after a container ship was struck by an unknown projectile near the coast of Oman on Thursday.
A U.S. official told MS Now that Iran was behind the attack.
The IMO initiative was launched on Tuesday to support hundreds of stranded ships and thousands of seafarers.
The evacuation plan is paused to reconfirm safety guarantees, per IMO Secretary-General Arsenio Dominguez.
The attacked vessel carried a Singapore flag and was owned by Evergreen, but did not transit under the IMO evacuation framework.
Traffic through the Strait of Hormuz has partially recovered after a U.S.-Iran interim peace deal paused hostilities for 60 days.
In the week following the ceasefire, 125 vessels passed through the strait, the highest level since the war started in late February.
Iran's military warned vessels not to use the southern route approved by the IMO, calling any new route without its approval "unacceptable and dangerous."
Key figures
Arsenio Dominguez, Secretary-General of the International Maritime Organization
A U.S. official (not named in the article)
Iran's military (not named individually)
Evergreen (shipping giant, owner of attacked vessel)
Sources: CNBC
