UN agency says it pauses Hormuz ship evacuation initiative after vessel attacked
LONDON, June 25 (Reuters) – The United Nations maritime agency on Thursday paused evacuation efforts aimed at removing hundreds of stranded ships and thousands of sailors from the Strait of Hormuz after an attack on a ship in the Gulf of Oman.
Arsenio Dominguez, Secretary General of the UN International Maritime Organization, said in his statement: “I was informed that there was an attack on a ship passing through the Strait of Hormuz in the Gulf of Oman today. This ship did not pass within the scope of IMO’s evacuation framework.” he said.
“I have decided to temporarily suspend enforcement in order to reaffirm that the necessary security guarantees remain in place for the ships on our evacuation list and for all ships in the area.”
The initiative launched Tuesday was a voluntary option for ships and their crews to exit the Gulf using two routes: one through Iranian waters and the other through Omani waters under U.S. supervision, the IMO said this week.
Some 57 ships carrying an estimated 1,100 seafarers passed through the Strait of Hormuz as part of the evacuation plan from June 23 to the morning of June 25, according to initial IMO data released early Thursday.
IMO did not provide any details about the attacked ship.
British naval agency UKMTO said earlier that it reported a suspected attack on a container ship while trying to pass through the strait near the coast of Oman on Thursday.
A maritime security source said the ship was likely targeted by a drone, although it was not yet clear who carried out the attack.
(Reporting by Jonathan Saul, Editing by William Maclean and Edmund Klamann)
