IMO Suspends Evacuation of Vessels from Persian Gulf Following Attack

The United Nations’ International Maritime Organization (IMO) has announced the suspension of vessel evacuations transiting the Strait of Hormuz following an attack on a cargo ship in the Gulf of Oman. “Following an attack on a vessel in the Gulf of Oman, the IMO has decided to temporarily halt evacuation operations pending further clarity,” the organisation stated on Thursday. Secretary-General Arsenio Dominguez stressed that the ship was transiting the Strait of Hormuz independently, outside the evacuation scheme. The IMO commenced the evacuation of more than 11,000 seafarers from the Persian Gulf on Tuesday, with several vessels passing through the Strait of Hormuz on Wednesday and Thursday as planned. The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) reported that a cargo ship was struck by an unknown projectile off the coast of Oman in the Strait of Hormuz. The UKMTO received a report that the projectile hit the starboard side of the cargo vessel, causing damage to the bridge, approximately 7.5 nautical miles southeast of Dahit, Oman. The ship’s captain reported no casualties. The incident occurred despite a memorandum signed remotely between Iran and the United States the previous evening, which guaranteed an end to the military conflict that began on 28 February. The document also set a deadline for the US to lift its naval blockade of Iranian ports and for Iran to restore navigation in the Strait of Hormuz.