UN Suspends Strait of Hormuz Evacuations
The IMO has halted the evacuation of 11,000 sailors from the Strait of Hormuz after a cargo ship was struck by a projectile in a disputed shipping corridor.
Atlas Newsdesk ·
The United Nations International Maritime Organization (IMO) has suspended the evacuation of more than 11,000 sailors stranded in the Strait of Hormuz following a projectile strike on a cargo vessel. The incident occurred on Thursday, approximately 7.5 nautical miles southeast of Dahit, Oman, prompting the IMO to halt operations until adequate safety guarantees are established.
The attack on the Singapore-flagged vessel, Ever Lovely, occurred while it was utilizing a shipping corridor proposed by the IMO and Oman. This route, which bypasses waters under direct Iranian control, has been explicitly rejected by Tehran. Iranian officials maintain that safe passage is only guaranteed via routes authorized by the state, citing ongoing demining operations and sovereignty concerns.
The strike undermines the stability of a memorandum of understanding signed last week between the United States and Iran, which aimed to end hostilities and restore commercial traffic. While the agreement facilitated a partial resumption of shipping, the dispute over navigation routes and toll collection remains unresolved. The IMO has indicated that the evacuation mission will remain paused indefinitely to ensure the safety of personnel involved in the transit.