After the attack on the United Nations cargo ship, the evacuation of the Sea of ​​Hormuz stopped for a moment

The International Maritime Organization (IMO) has suspended plans to evacuate more than 11,000 sailors off the coast of Hormuz after an attack on a cargo ship passing through the waterway.

IMO chief Arsenio Dominguez said several boats had left but the agency wanted to ensure “necessary safety guarantees” were maintained.

Britain’s maritime safety agency, UKMTO, said on Thursday that a ship had been hit by an “unidentified projectile” 7.5 nautical miles southeast of Oman’s Dahit port. No casualties were reported.

Vanguard, a maritime risk management firm, said the Singapore-flagged vessel Ever Lovely remained in distress despite the attack.

Hundreds of ships and thousands of sailors have been stranded in the Gulf since the US and Israel’s war with Iran in February.

The UN evacuation effort was announced only Tuesday following the reopening of the coast, and Dominguez said it was a “massive undertaking” with the cooperation of Iran, Oman, the United States, other coastal states in the region and the maritime industry.

Dominguez said in a statement on Thursday that the ship that was attacked “did not sail within the IMO emissions framework”.

“I have always stated that the safety of seafarers is very important. Therefore, in order to ensure a coordinated approach and safety at sea, the evacuation plan will be suspended until more clarity is obtained,” he said.

According to ship tracking website MarineTraffic, the Ever Lovely entered the sea using a southern route on Thursday morning and left at around 15:30 local time (16:30 BST).

Vanguard also reported that no assistance was required.

Last week, the U.S. and Iran agreed to a ceasefire under A. 14-point agreement He also asked Iran to use “its best efforts to allow merchant ships to pass without payment for 60 days.”

But Tehran has repeatedly said it plans to pay what it calls maritime services, as opposed to paying to cross the sea.

The plan has been strongly opposed by the US, and Secretary of State Marco Rubio warned on Tuesday that no country would be allowed to pay fees on the Strait of Hormuz.

Rubio is currently in Bahrain as part of a Gulf tour to discuss the deal with Tehran.

Since the attack on Iran began in late February, Tehran has shut down the river – a vital waterway for oil and gas transport – leading to a spike in global oil prices and the shipment of other essential commodities such as fertiliser.

However, crude prices have fallen sharply since the US and Iran signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) on June 17, which set a 60-day deadline for negotiations on Tehran’s nuclear program and other measures to end hostilities.

Earlier on Thursday The price of oil fell for a short time A price down from $72.48 (£55), the price before the US and Israel attacked Iran, to $73.23.