UN evacuates 2,500 seafarers from Strait of Hormuz before suspending operation

The United Nations' maritime agency says it has evacuated around 2,500 stranded seafarers from the Strait of Hormuz before temporarily suspending the operation following a fresh attack on a commercial vessel, DPA writes.

The International Maritime Organisation (IMO) said the evacuation mission, launched earlier this week, involved at least 115 ships operating in and around the strategically important waterway.

IMO Secretary-General Arsenio Dominguez said the agency halted the operation after a vessel that had transited the Strait of Hormuz was attacked in the Gulf of Oman on June 25.

The London-based UN agency said it was now holding talks with Iran, Oman and the United States to obtain security assurances before resuming the evacuations.

Earlier this week, the IMO announced plans to remove more than 11,000 seafarers stranded in the region as tensions disrupted commercial shipping through one of the world's most important trade routes.

The Strait of Hormuz, which connects the Persian Gulf with the Gulf of Oman and the Arabian Sea, is a critical artery for global energy supplies and international trade.

According to the IMO, at least 14 seafarers have been killed and more than 40 commercial vessels attacked during the conflict, which has severely disrupted maritime traffic in the area.

By Aghakazim Guliyev