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The International Maritime Organization (IMO) is working with various countries to resume the evacuation of hundreds of vessels and thousands of crew members stranded in the Strait of Hormuz, after the effort was "temporarily paused" following an attack on an Evergreen container ship, a senior official from the United Nations agency reported.
About 115 vessels and around seafarers were able to navigate through the waterway before the withdrawal was paused, according to IMO Secretary-General Arsenio Domínguez during a virtual press conference.
Domínguez stated that he is working "vigilantly" with various parties and holding discussions with several countries—particularly Oman, the United States, and Iran—"in order to find those guarantees that were provided at the beginning, that vessels will not be attacked," he specified.
"As soon as I receive further confirmations in this regard, we will be ready to restart the evacuation process," he added, though he could not specify a timeframe for the resumption.
For its part, Tehran reaffirmed its right to control navigation in the critical waterway and warned its Gulf neighbors not to align with Washington.
Meanwhile, Domínguez noted that his main point of contact in Iran was with its maritime authority and its Ministry of Foreign Affairs. "I really need to maintain the positive approach that progress is being made throughout the conflict and that, at least, vessels are also sailing safely," he stated.
The UN agency's Secretary-General added that they are investigating "the reasons and motivation" for the attack on the Ever Lovely.
The evacuation plan contemplated two channels for navigating out through the strait: either through Iranian waters in the north or Omani waters in the south.
The so-called Traffic Separation Scheme, adopted by the IMO in 1968, established route lanes through Iranian and Omani waters in the strait. This central section, however, cannot currently be used due to the presence of what Domínguez estimated to be around 80 explosive mines.
"It will take a few weeks before we can evacuate the little over 500 vessels that still need to be evacuated. Of course, the faster we can resume operations, the faster we can start increasing the numbers until said evacuation is completed," Domínguez concluded.
