UN Halts Hormuz Evacuation After Cargo Ship Attack Near Oman! 🚢🚨
UN Halts Hormuz Evacuation After Cargo Ship Attack Near Oman! 🚢🚨
A cargo ship attacked near Oman forces the UN to pause a massive evacuation of 11,000 sailors from the Strait of Hormuz. Maritime safety concerns rise after 'unknown projectile' strike.
The United Nations' International Maritime Organization (IMO) has announced the temporary suspension of its large-scale evacuation plan for over 11,000 sailors stranded in the Strait of Hormuz. This critical decision comes after a cargo ship transiting the vital waterway was reportedly struck by an "unknown projectile" near Oman. While no casualties were reported, the incident has raised significant concerns about navigational safety in the region.
IMO chief Arsenio Dominguez confirmed that several vessels had already been evacuated, but the agency prioritized ensuring "necessary safety guarantees" for all seafarers. The British maritime security agency UKMTO reported the incident, stating a ship was hit 7.5 nautical miles southeast of Oman's port of Dahit. The Singapore-flagged vessel, identified as Ever Lovely, reportedly continued its transit through the strait despite the attack, according to maritime risk management firm Vanguard.
Adding to the complexities, the body established by Iran to manage the strait, the Persian Gulf Strait Authority (PGSA), issued a warning on X (formerly Twitter). It stated that vessels using routes outside of designated paths would not be guaranteed safe passage and that any consequences would fall upon the vessel's owner, operator, and master. Ship-tracking data from MarineTraffic indicated the Ever Lovely used the southern route and exited the strait on its eastern side after the incident.
The broader context for this evacuation effort is the thousands of sailors and hundreds of ships that have been stranded in the Gulf since February, stemming from the US-Israel war against Iran. The UN's evacuation plan, a "large-scale operation," was only recently announced and had seemingly garnered cooperation from Iran, Oman, the US, and other regional coastal states, as well as the maritime industry.
However, Dominguez emphasized that the attacked vessel was not operating under the IMO's evacuation framework. He reiterated the paramount importance of seafarer safety, stating that the evacuation plan would remain paused "until further clarity is obtained" to ensure a coordinated approach and navigational safety. This incident underscores the precarious security situation in one of the world's most critical shipping lanes, highlighting ongoing tensions and their potential impact on global commerce and the lives of maritime workers.
#StraitOfHormuz #MaritimeSafety #UNEvacuation #HormuzIncident
