Latest ship attack puts IMO’s Persian Gulf evacuation plan on hold

The International Maritime Organization (IMO) has paused its Persian Gulf vessel evacuation three days after it was implemented following an attack on an Evergreen container ship sailing through the Strait of Hormuz on June 25.

Despite the vessel not transiting under the IMO evacuation framework, Director-General Arsenio Dominguez said the safety of seafarers was a priority, so he suspended the initiative pending further clarity from the US and Iran over safety guarantees for ships exiting the Persian Gulf.

“I have decided to temporarily pause 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,” Dominguez said in a statement.

Singapore-registered Ever Lovely was hit by a projectile while leaving the Strait of Hormuz on Thursday via the southern Omani route, one of two routes agreed in the memorandum of understanding (MOU) signed by the US and Iran. US media reports say an Iranian drone was responsible for the attack.

The Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) condemned the attack.

“The MPA is deeply concerned about the incident, which was unprovoked, unjustifiable, and a breach of international law,” the authority said in a statement. No injuries were reported and the ship has continued its voyage.

Shipping association Bimco called the attack “a setback” for IMO plans to evacuate ships and the more than 11,000 seafarers that have been trapped in the region since the war began on Feb. 28.

“The situation underscores the importance of clear and unambiguous agreements between the US and Iran regarding a resumption of maritime traffic through the strait," said Jakob Larsen, Bimco’s chief safety and security officer. “The wording of the US-Iran MOU is currently not sufficiently clear.”

Threat level lowered

The Bahrain-based Joint Maritime Information Center (JMIC) has maintained its lowered threat level for the Strait of Hormuz at “moderate” and said traffic continues to increase through two routes agreed in the MOU: the southern Omani corridor, and the northern route through Iranian-controlled waters. The transit separation scheme (TSS) route through which most commercial traffic passed before the war remains impassable because of mines.

Data from supply chain visibility platform Kpler shows that by June 25, 172 ships had crossed through the strait since the MOU was signed on June 17.

Maersk and Hapag-Lloyd are among the carriers that have safely moved ships out of the Persian Gulf in the past week.

The 4,500-TEU Maersk Baltimore and a second vessel chartered by the carrier sailed out late Wednesday night and in the early hours of Thursday, a Maersk spokesperson said.

“The decision to initiate transit through the Strait of Hormuz was taken following a thorough security assessment and based on recommendations from security partners in the region,” the spokesperson said, adding that Maersk’s remaining three vessels will exit the Persian Gulf “at a later stage.”

A Hapag-Lloyd spokesperson said all its vessels affected by the closure of the Strait of Hormuz have now safely left the Gulf. At the start of the war, Hapag-Lloyd had six container ships stuck in the region.

Normalization timeline

While the IMO tries to get its evacuation plan back on track, attention is now shifting to a timeline for the normalization of energy and commodity exports from the Persian Gulf. About 20% of the world’s oil and gas supply passed through the Strait of Hormuz before the war, and cutting off that pipeline has led to tightening bunker fuel supplies in key refueling locations, most notably in Asia.

Boudewijn Siemons, CEO of the Port of Rotterdam, said there were two factors to watch as traffic resumed through the strait — how long it will take to get energy and commodity flows back to pre-war levels, and how much damage has been caused to energy production plants in the Persian Gulf.

“We need to know the extent of targeting of energy and chemical installations because it will take time for them to come back on stream,” he told the Journal of Commerce.

Siemons said 20% of the energy shipments exiting the Persian Gulf before the war were imported by Europe and the rest by India and East Asian countries. Refineries in East Asia were forced to scale down the production of raw materials shipped into Europe that are crucial for the chemical industry.

“Industry in Rotterdam faced issues with sourcing and they had to be creative to keep their operations going,” Siemons said.

Global bank HSBC noted in a customer advisory this week that it will take time for the supply of commodities from the Persian Gulf to return to “normal” levels.

“There are a range of hurdles that need to be tackled beyond the logistical challenges of repositioning ships,” the bank said. “For instance, clearing mines in shipping lanes. So far only two lanes have been deemed safe. Reinstatement of insurance and lower insurance costs will also take time.”

HSBC said it was also not clear what a new normal will look like with Iran and Oman working on an agreement for the future administration of the Strait of Hormuz.

This article was originally published by the Journal of Commerce on June 26, 2026.