Attack comes hours after Iran warns only designated routes are safe; IMO says safety guarantees must be reconfirmed before evacuation framework resumes

A cargo ship sails through the Strait of Hormuz on Thursday (local time). [Reuters]
A cargo ship sails through the Strait of Hormuz on Thursday (local time). [Reuters]

The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) said Thursday (local time) that a cargo ship transiting the Strait of Hormuz near the Omani coast had reported a suspected attack.

According to Reuters, the vessel reported its starboard side was struck by a projectile while sailing 7.5 nautical miles southeast of Oman's Daqm port.

UKMTO said part of the bridge was damaged but that there were no casualties or environmental pollution, and that authorities were investigating the incident.

A maritime security source told Reuters that no group had claimed responsibility but that a drone may have targeted the vessel.

According to British maritime risk management firm Vanguard and maritime sources, the vessel struck was the Singapore-flagged container ship Ever Lovely. Taiwan's Evergreen, the ship's owner, did not respond to queries.

Earlier that day, Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) warned that safe passage through the strait would only be guaranteed for vessels using Iran-designated routes, and said it would respond to ships that did not comply.

The Persian Gulf and Sea of Oman Authority (PGSA), an Iranian body established to manage transit through the Strait of Hormuz, also posted on X (formerly Twitter) that it "cannot guarantee safe passage for vessels traveling outside the zones we have designated, and such vessels will be excluded from insurance coverage and related liability."

The authority added: "Full responsibility for any consequences arising from the use of unauthorized routes lies solely with the shipowner, ship operator and captain."

Following the attack, the International Maritime Organization (IMO) said it would temporarily suspend the evacuation plan for vessels and crew in the Strait of Hormuz that it had announced Wednesday — just one day after the plan was unveiled.

The IMO had earlier announced it was launching an operation to move hundreds of ships and 11,000 crew members out of the Strait of Hormuz, with Oman providing a temporary transit corridor for the effort.

However, IMO Secretary-General Arsenio Dominguez said in a statement that while several vessels had successfully exited the strait under the framework, the organization had decided to pause implementation "in order to reconfirm that the necessary security assurances remain in place."

Dominguez said he had been notified of the attack on a vessel in the Gulf of Oman on Friday, and noted that the ship had not been traveling under the IMO's evacuation framework. "The evacuation plan will remain suspended until further clarity is obtained, in order to ensure a coordinated approach and navigational safety," he said.


mokiya@heraldcorp.com