The UN’s International Maritime Organization (IMO) has halted the planned evacuation of more than 11,000 sailors stranded in the Strait of Hormuz after a British military agency said a cargo ship passing through the waterway was hit by a projectile off the coast of Oman. IMO secretary-general Arsenio Dominguez said several boats had already been evacuated, but the agency wanted to ensure that “necessary safety guarantees” would continue to be in place. The British maritime security agency UKMTO reported on Thursday that a ship had been struck 7.5 nautical miles southeast of Oman’s port of Dahit by “an unknown projectile”. No casualties were reported. Maritime risk management firm Vanguard said the ship, Singapore-flagged Ever Lovely, continued through strait despite the attack. It was unclear who launched the projectile or the type of vessel that was targeted, but US officials said Iran had fired on the ship, according to US media reports. The report of a strike came hours after Iran threatened vessels to stop using the route through the strait without Tehran’s permission. Following reports of the attack, the Arabian Gulf Strait Authority, the body set up by Iran to manage the strait, said vessels passing outside designated routes would [...]
