IMO Pauses Persian Gulf Evacuations After Containership is Attacked
Reports are coming in that a containership sailing south of Oman near the eastern exit from the Strait of Hormuz was struck by a projectile. Details are still unfolding, but it came after the IRGC issued a warning saying vessels were only permitted to sail through the northern channel under its control.
UK Maritime Trade Operations received information from the master of the vessel that it was hit on the starboard side. The ship reportedly suffered damage to the bridge, but there were no casualties. It said the incident happened approximately 7.5 nautical miles southeast of Dahit, Oman.
The security agencies Ambrey and Vanguard Tech released additional details identifying the vessel as the Ever Lovely (104,357 dwt), a Singapore-registered containership. Built in 2015 for Evergreen Marine, the ship is 335 meters (1,099 feet) with a capacity of 9,532 TEU. The reports indicate it was one of three Evergreen vessels making the transit to escape from the Persian Gulf.
The vessel’s AIS signal shows that it is still underway, approaching the area near Fujairah. Evergreen has not responded to requests for a comment to the media.
The IMO released a statement saying it had decided to pause the evacuation effort while noting that the vessel that was attacked “did not transit under IMO’s evacuation framework.” It said it had, however, temporarily paused its evacuation operation pending further clarity.
IMO Secretary-General Mr. Arsenio Dominguez released a statement saying it had “temporarily paused its implementation in order to reconfirm that the necessary safety guarantees continue to be in place for the ships on our evacuation list and all those in the region.” He said they were working to ensure a coordinated approach and navigational safety, and seeking further clarity.
Iran’s Revolutionary Guard had earlier said it rejected the IMO-Omani effort to move vessels and that the only safe route was under its control. A video circulating online recorded a message apparently from the IRGC telling ships that they would be responsible for the consequences if they took an alternate route, and unconfirmed reports have said several ships have turned back. The IMO canceled a briefing scheduled for Thursday, citing urgent developments.
The attack came after both Maersk and Hapag-Lloyd confirmed that they had been able to get vessels out of the Persian Gulf. Maersk said Maersk Baltimore (53,700 dwt) had departed. The 4,500 TEU vessel registered in Singapore was reported to be making its exit along with an unnamed vessel that is under a time-charter to Maersk. The company reported the transit followed a security assessment and was based on recommendations from security partners.
Maersk reports it has three additional vessels remaining in the Gulf. It said it would pursue one additional transit through the Strait of Hormuz. It also said that of the 47,000 containers it had bound for the Gulf region, 44,000 have been delivered. A further 3,000 are pending their final leg.
Hapag-Lloyd, in a statement to The Maritime Executive, confirmed that all Hapag-Lloyd vessels that were affected by the temporary closure of the Strait of Hormuz and had been waiting in the Persian Gulf to depart have since safely left the Gulf. It said for security reasons, it would not comment on individual vessel names, routings, or exact timings.
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In April, Hapag-Lloyd had confirmed that one of its vessels had been able to exit. It said another was on a charter that had expired. It said it had four other vessels remaining in the region. Today, Hapag said two have departed, one further vessel was subchartered, and another vessel has taken up a service within the Persian Gulf.
The IMO, in an update, had said 57 ships and an estimated 1,100 seafarers had made the transit since it started the evacuation effort with Oman on June 23.