The International Maritime Organization has paused its Gulf evacuation plan following a vessel attack in the Gulf of Oman that has raised serious safety concerns.
An Evergreen container ship flying a Singapore flag was struck by an unknown projectile near the Omani coast on Thursday, prompting an immediate review of the evacuation framework.
A US official told media that Iran was behind the attack, though Washington said it was still looking into the incident at the time of reporting.
Arsenio Dominguez, Secretary-General of the International Maritime Organization, said the pause was necessary “in order to reconfirm that the necessary safety guarantees continue to be in place for the ships on our evacuation list and all those in the region.”
When asked about the US response, an official said “we are aware of these reports and looking into them. President Trump has been clear that Iran cannot subvert the free flow of traffic in the strait.”
The IMO initiative, launched on Tuesday, was designed to help hundreds of stranded ships and thousands of seafarers exit the Gulf via either a northern route through Iranian waters or a southern route through Omani waters under US oversight.
The evacuation effort followed a 60-day interim peace deal struck between the US and Iran, pausing hostilities while negotiations for a permanent agreement moved forward.
Traffic through the Strait of Hormuz has partially recovered since the ceasefire but remains well below the levels recorded before the war began in late February.
In the week following the ceasefire, 125 vessels passed through the strait according to Lloyd’s List Intelligence, representing the highest level of weekly transits since the conflict began.
Iran’s military issued a warning on Wednesday, stating that any new transit route through the Strait of Hormuz established without its approval is “unacceptable and dangerous,” as Tehran seeks to maintain control over the critical waterway.
At least two vessels performed U-turns while attempting to exit the Middle East Gulf, according to Lloyd’s, after Iran insisted ships use only Tehran-approved routes.
Dominguez confirmed that the attacked Evergreen vessel was not transiting under the IMO evacuation framework, complicating the broader picture of maritime safety in the region.
Evergreen, Singapore’s Ministry of Trade and Industry, and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs did not respond to requests for comment on the incident.