The United Nations’ International Maritime Organization (IMO) has temporarily halted its evacuation plan for more than 11,000 sailors stranded in the Strait of Hormuz after a cargo vessel travelling through the strategic waterway came under attack.
IMO Secretary-General Arsenio Dominguez said several vessels had already been evacuated before the decision was taken, but stressed that the agency wanted to ensure that “necessary safety guarantees” remained in place before continuing the operation.
The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) reported on Thursday that a merchant vessel was hit by “an unknown projectile” about 7.5 nautical miles southeast of Oman’s Port of Dahit. No casualties were recorded.
The incident followed a warning from Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), which stated that vessels using an IMO-designated transit route through the strait would face unacceptable risks and should instead coordinate directly with Iranian authorities.
According to reports by US media, American officials believe Iran was responsible for firing on the vessel.
Maritime risk management company Vanguard identified the affected ship as the Singapore-flagged Ever Lovely, noting that it continued its voyage through the strait despite the attack.
Data from ship-tracking platform MarineTraffic, reviewed by BBC Verify, showed that the Ever Lovely travelled along the southern route designated by the IMO on Thursday morning.
The vessel reportedly led a convoy of four other ships through the waterway, according to the Wall Street Journal.
Crew members aboard vessels in the convoy told the newspaper they did not receive any radio warnings from the Iranian navy during the transit.
In a statement issued Thursday, Dominguez clarified that the attacked vessel “did not transit under IMO’s evacuation framework”.
“I have always reiterated that the safety of the seafarers remains paramount. Therefore, to ensure a coordinated approach and navigational safety, the evacuation plan will be paused until further clarity is obtained,” he said.
More than 11,000 seafarers and hundreds of commercial vessels have remained stranded in the Gulf since February due to the conflict involving the United States, Israel, and Iran.
The IMO announced the evacuation initiative earlier this week after the Strait of Hormuz reopened. Dominguez said the operation had been coordinated with Iran, Oman, the United States, other regional coastal states, and the maritime industry.
Meanwhile, Iran’s Persian Gulf Strait Authority (PGSA) warned that ships travelling outside approved routes would not be guaranteed protection.
In a statement posted on X, the agency said: “Any consequences arising from the use of unauthorised routes shall be the responsibility of the vessel’s owner, operator and master”.
Reports indicate that many commercial ships have been relying on an alternative route along Oman’s coastline to reduce security risks.
Last week, the United States and Iran agreed to end hostilities under a 14-point agreement, which included a commitment by Tehran to use its “best efforts for the safe passage of commercial vessels with no charge for 60 days”.
Despite the agreement, Iranian authorities have repeatedly stated they intend to impose maritime service fees for vessels crossing the Strait of Hormuz, insisting the charges are service fees rather than transit tolls.
The proposal has drawn strong opposition from Washington, with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio declaring on Tuesday that no country has the authority to impose tolls on what he described as “an international waterway”.
Rubio is currently visiting Bahrain as part of a Gulf tour focused on discussions surrounding the agreement with Tehran.
Following the outbreak of hostilities between the US, Israel, and Iran in late February, Tehran effectively shut down the Strait of Hormuz, a vital global shipping route responsible for transporting significant volumes of oil, gas, fertiliser, and other commodities. The disruption triggered a sharp rise in global oil prices.
Since the United States and Iran signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on June 17, outlining a 60-day negotiation period on Iran’s nuclear programme and measures to end the conflict, crude oil prices have steadily declined.
On Thursday, oil prices briefly fell below $72.48 per barrel, the level recorded before the US and Israel launched military strikes on Iran, before recovering slightly to $73.23 per barrel.
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