Key facts
- The UN's International Maritime Organization (IMO) has temporarily paused its evacuation initiative for ships in the Strait of Hormuz.
- The pause followed an attack on a container ship operated by Taiwan's Evergreen near Oman.
- Approximately 115 vessels and 2,500 seafarers had transited the strait before the evacuation was halted.
- The IMO is actively engaged with Oman, the United States, and Iran to reconfirm safety guarantees for maritime passage.
- The agency is investigating the attack and aims to resume evacuations once safety is assured, a process expected to take weeks.
The United Nations' International Maritime Organization (IMO) has temporarily suspended its evacuation plan for ships and seafarers in the Strait of Hormuz following a reported attack on a container vessel operated by Evergreen near Oman. The initiative, which had facilitated the passage of approximately 115 vessels and 2,500 seafarers, was halted to ensure safety guarantees could be reconfirmed. IMO Secretary-General Arsenio Dominguez is in active discussions with Oman, the United States, and Iran to secure these assurances. He stated that the process of evacuating the remaining over 500 vessels is expected to take several weeks once operations resume. The IMO is also investigating the attack to understand its motivations. Iran has reasserted its control over the critical waterway, warning against the use of unapproved routes.