IMO pauses Hormuz ship evacuation plan after vessel attack

The International Maritime Organization has suspended efforts to evacuate ships and sailors stranded in the Middle East Gulf following an attack on a ship in the Gulf of Oman.

The pause comes after a container ship was hit by an unknown projectile off the coast of Oman on Thursday, and a US official told MS Now that Iran was behind the attack.

Arsenio Dominguez, Secretary-General of the International Maritime Organization, a specialized agency of the United Nations, said in a statement that the evacuation plan would be temporarily paused “in order to reaffirm that the necessary security guarantees are in place for the ships on our evacuation list and all ships in the region.” expression.

When asked about his reaction to the attack, a US official said: “We are aware of these reports and are reviewing them. President Trump is clear that Iran cannot disrupt the free flow of traffic in the strait.”

The IMO initiative, launched on Tuesday, aimed to support the departure of hundreds of stranded ships and thousands of sailors from the Gulf. Northern route via Iranian waters IMO said in a statement earlier this week that it would go to the southern route through Omani waters under the supervision of the USA.

Shipowners were trying to transit the Strait of Hormuz after the United States and Iran signed a temporary peace agreement to pause hostilities for 60 days while negotiations for a permanent peace agreement continued. Traffic in the Strait of Hormuz has partially recovered but remains well below pre-war levels.

According to Lloyd’s List Intelligence, 125 ships passed through the strait in the week following the armistice; this was the highest weekly pass level since the war began in late February.

Iran’s military on Wednesday warned ships not to use the IMO-approved southern route, saying any new transit route through the Strait of Hormuz created without its approval was “unacceptable and dangerous” as Tehran seeks to strengthen its grip on the vital energy waterway.

According to the report, at least two ships made a U-turn while exiting the Middle East Gulf. Lloyd’sThis after Iran insisted that the ships use Tehran-approved routes. Both were using the southern route closest to the Omani coastline.

The attacked ship was flying the Singapore flag and was owned by a shipping giant evergreenaccordingly Lloyd’s. Dominguez said in his statement that he did not pass under the IMO’s evacuation framework.

Evergreen, Singapore’s Ministry of Trade and Industry and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs did not respond to CNBC’s requests for comment.

— CNBC’s Akayla Gardner, Lim Hui Jie and Dan Mangan contributed to this report.