After an attack on a ship in the Gulf of Oman, the World Maritime Organization (IMO) has temporarily stopped the recently started evacuation of ships around the Strait of Hormuz. “Today I received a report of an attack in the Gulf of Oman on a ship transiting the Strait of Hormuz,” said IMO Secretary General Arsenio Dominguez. “This ship was not in transit as part of the IMO evacuation plan.”
Several US media outlets, citing US officials, reported that Iran’s Revolutionary Guards (IRGC) attacked a Singaporean-flagged cargo ship in the Strait of Hormuz. The Washington Post quotes a US official as saying that the ship was hit by an Iranian drone.
The UN specialized agency did not provide any further information about the ship or the attack. According to the international shipping association Bimco, it was a merchant ship that was transiting the Strait of Hormuz using the coastal traffic zone off Oman.
Dominguez said he had decided to “temporarily suspend the implementation of the evacuation plan in order to reassess whether the necessary safety guarantees are still in place for the ships on our evacuation list and all ships in the region.” «I have always emphasized that the safety of seafarers is the top priority. “In order to ensure a coordinated approach and the safety of shipping, the evacuation plan is suspended until the situation is clarified.”
The UN special agency announced on Tuesday that it would evacuate more than 11,000 sailors from the region. The first ships passed through the strait on the same day. The Strait of Hormuz, which is important for world trade, was effectively blocked for weeks when Iran first began threatening and attacking civilian ships and later the USA blocked Iranian ports. This was preceded by American-Israeli attacks on Iran. Washington and Tehran have now tentatively agreed to end the fighting.
Opening the Strait of Hormuz to shipping is a central part of the recently agreed framework agreement. Any disruptions in implementation could therefore also put a strain on further talks between the USA and Iran. (DPA)
