The United Nations International Maritime Organization confirmed Friday it evacuated 2,500 crew members from the Gulf this week. The effort targeted some 11,000 mariners stranded aboard 600 vessels since the conflict between Israel, the United States, and Iran erupted in late February.
The operation paused Thursday after the container ship Ever Lovely was struck while transiting the Strait of Hormuz near Oman. IMO Secretary-General Arsenio Dominguez stressed the vessel was not participating in the official evacuation and was not following the established framework.
The attack exposed the strategic ambiguity in the preliminary peace agreement between Washington and Tehran. The deal ended hostilities but left unresolved the fundamental question of who controls navigation through the critical oil chokepoint.
Iran asserts authority over northern routes, while Oman and the U.S. coordinate a southern corridor. Mr. Dominguez said his priority is restoring safety guarantees for all ships, regardless of route. The IMO is in discussions with all parties to restart evacuations.
Navigation remains hampered. The central shipping lanes are contaminated by naval mines, forcing traffic through the two temporary corridors. Despite the pause, preliminary data shows some vessels continue to transit using both routes.
For the IMO, the crisis is primarily humanitarian. At least 14 seafarers have been killed and over 40 commercial vessels attacked during the conflict. Many crews have been trapped for over three months, dependent on outside aid.
"Seafarers feel forgotten," Mr. Dominguez said. He identified his next priority after evacuation: the demining of the Strait of Hormuz.