The UN shipping agency on Thursday paused efforts to get hundreds of stranded ships and thousands of seafarers out of the Gulf through the Strait of Hormuz after a vessel was attacked off the coast of Oman.
"I have been informed of an attack today in the Gulf of Oman on a vessel which passed through the Strait of Hormuz. This vessel did not transit under IMO’s evacuation framework," International Maritime Organisation Secretary General Arsenio Dominguez said in a statement.
The attack took place a day after Oman announced the creation of a temporary shipping transit corridor for the evacuations in collaboration with the IMO.
The UK Maritime Trade Operations centre (UKMTO) said the ship reported being struck 13.8km south-east of Dahit, in Oman's Musandam region, but no casualties were recorded.
The UKMTO said in a statement that it would "not be conducting notifications to vessels regarding inclusion in IMO planning batches during this period".
Iran appeared to claim responsibility for the attack in message issued by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps' navy, which said the route the ship was sailing on was “unacceptable and extremely dangerous”.
“We warn all vessels to strictly refrain from any movement outside the designated routes,” it said. The IRGC will take action against vessels that do not follow its instructions, the group added.
Maritime security company Vanguard said the ship, identified as the Singapore-flagged Ever Lovely, continued to sail through the strait despite the attack.
The evacuation route announced by Oman on Wednesday runs along the south of the strait, along its coast. About 11,000 seafarers were expected to leave the strait under the plan.
The route was created as an alternative to the usual shipping corridor through the strait, which is considered too dangerous owing to Iranian sea mines placed there during the war. It could take up to six months to clear them.
An IMO spokeswoman stressed the need to get the stranded seafarers out. "They're not military, they're not trained for these things. They're seafarers from India, the Philippines – it's been quite a challenge," she said.
Before the latest attack, crossings through the strait had more than doubled as confidence improved after the US and Iran signed an interim deal on June 17. Issues regarding shipping tolls, demining efforts and control of the strait have not yet been resolved. Insurance is another hurdle.
Oman's Royal Navy had emphasised that ships would transit the temporary route without fees or tolls. It added that each ship could conduct an independent risk assessment before starting its voyage.
The IMO had said the new arrangements should give insurance companies more certainty, potentially giving more ships leeway to move through the temporary routes.
