UN Halts Hormuz Evacuations after Gulf of Oman Attack

On Thursday, the UN's International Maritime Organization temporarily suspended an evacuation program aimed at safely guiding hundreds of stranded ships and thousands of seafarers through the strategic Strait of Hormuz. The decision came after a container ship was reportedly attacked in the Gulf of Oman.

The agency's Secretary-General, Arsenio Dominguez, said the vessel in question had not been sailing as part of the official evacuation program. However, he decided to suspend the operation so that the organization could review and re-establish security guarantees for all ships on the list, as well as across the wider region.

The voluntary evacuation initiative began on Tuesday, offering crews two routes out of the Persian Gulf: one through Iranian waters and the other through Omani waters under US supervision. According to the agency's data, approximately 57 ships carrying 1,100 seafarers had safely passed through the strait between the program's launch and Thursday morning.

The British navy agency UKMTO confirmed that a container ship had reported the incident near the Omani coast. According to maritime security sources, the vessel was likely the target of a drone attack, though the identity of the attacker remains unknown.

(Reuters, Max)