Singapore freighter hit off Oman coast, prompting IMO to suspend evacuation operation

Iran says only designated routes are safe, effectively proposing new transit regime ahead of Monday-Tuesday Switzerland talks

An oil tanker anchors near Kharg Island, Iran's main oil export terminal, in the Strait of Hormuz. [Getty Images]
An oil tanker anchors near Kharg Island, Iran's main oil export terminal, in the Strait of Hormuz. [Getty Images]

By Seo Ji-yeon, The Herald Business

The safe-passage framework for the Strait of Hormuz, agreed to under a US-Iran memorandum of understanding, has faced its first major test. A Singapore-flagged cargo ship was struck near Oman, prompting the International Maritime Organization to suspend a vessel-evacuation operation just one day after it launched. Iran declared it could guarantee safe passage only along routes it had designated, in effect presenting a new transit management regime for the strait — raising fresh tensions ahead of follow-up working-level talks scheduled in Switzerland on Monday and Tuesday.

According to the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations, the Singapore-flagged container ship Ever Lovely reported being struck on its starboard side by a projectile about 7.5 nautical miles southeast of Duqm port in Oman on Thursday (local time). Part of the bridge was damaged, but no casualties or environmental pollution were reported.

Maritime security sources raised the possibility of a drone strike. US government officials told Fox News the attack was assessed to be a drone strike carried out by Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. British authorities said they were still investigating who was responsible.

In the wake of the incident, the IMO suspended a vessel and crew evacuation plan it had announced the previous day. IMO Secretary-General Arsenio Dominguez said the organization was pausing implementation of the evacuation plan "to reconfirm that the necessary safety assurances remain in place," adding that the struck vessel "was not operating under the evacuation framework the IMO had established."

Just one day earlier, the IMO had launched a large-scale evacuation operation to move hundreds of vessels and about 11,000 crew members out of the Strait of Hormuz, announcing that Oman would provide temporary routes to support safe passage. The IMO and Oman proposed two new temporary corridors for ships exiting the strait. Iran refused to join the effort, with the IRGC stating that only vessels using Iran-designated routes could be guaranteed safe passage. The Persian Gulf and Sea of Oman Authority, a body established by the Iranian government, also warned that vessels deviating from designated zones would be guaranteed neither safety nor insurance coverage nor liability protection.

After the ship was struck, markets read the incident not as an isolated event but as a sign that the underlying conflict over a new management regime for the Strait of Hormuz was surfacing.

The episode was widely read as Iran making clear that, even after agreeing with the United States under the MOU to keep the strait open for 60 days, Tehran intends to retain control over how the waterway is managed. Analysts saw it as a signal that Iran aims to lead navigation and safety management in the strait — even without imposing transit fees.

The United States has maintained that freedom of navigation through the strait must be guaranteed. President Donald Trump recently warned that if Iran's assurances that it would not impose transit fees proved false, "negotiations will end immediately." Secretary of State Marco Rubio doubled down on the principle, saying free navigation through the Strait of Hormuz was a core tenet of the ongoing negotiations.

The two sides have also traded conflicting positions on nuclear inspections, the use of frozen assets and missile issues. Iran has pushed back against claims that it agreed to expanded International Atomic Energy Agency inspections, while the United States has insisted Iran accepted long-term nuclear verification measures.

The follow-up working-level talks set for Monday and Tuesday in Switzerland are now expected to put the Strait of Hormuz's safe-passage framework and management arrangements on the agenda alongside the nuclear program.


sjy@heraldcorp.com