IMO: Around 2,500 Seafarers Evacuated from Strait of Hormuz

London (ANTARA) - Around 2,500 seafarers aboard 115 vessels have been evacuated from the Strait of Hormuz since the International Maritime Organization (IMO) launched an evacuation operation for stranded mariners on Tuesday (23/6), according to IMO Secretary-General Arsenio Dominguez on Friday (26/6). In an online press conference, Dominguez said the initial figures covered the first three and a half days of the evacuation operation. On Tuesday, the IMO announced the evacuation framework, recommending the use of a northern route informed by Iran and a southern route informed by Oman. However, on Thursday (25/6), the UN maritime body suspended the evacuation operation after a vessel was attacked in the Gulf of Oman, stating it needed to conduct further assessment on whether the security guarantees underpinning the operation remained valid. Shipping data indicated that several vessels continued to transit the Strait of Hormuz after the IMO operation was suspended. Responding to a question from Xinhua, Dominguez said Iran was still conducting its operation on the northern route. Meanwhile, the United States continued to provide assistance to vessels transiting the southern route. “What is important for those vessels is to carry out a risk assessment before making a final decision,” he said. He also urged ship owners and operators to carefully assess the risks. Dominguez stated the IMO would only resume the evacuation operation after receiving sufficient guarantees that commercial vessels would not be attacked.