Ships keep moving through Hormuz despite strike
Discussions between the foreign ministries of Iran and Oman on Monday helped finalise the IMO plan before its abrupt suspension The IRGC continues to insist that the only legitimate passage through the strait is the northern route under its control At least four vessels reversed course after the IRGC Navy reiterated its position on the northern route Traffic through the Omani lane nevertheless continued on Thursday and Friday despite the attack on the Ever Lovely , Iran’s warning and the IMO’s pause on the evacuation plan
Despite the IMO freezing its evacuation plan after Ever Lovely was struck, ships are still moving through both Hormuz routes as operators weigh conflicting signals from Iran and the risks of staying put
THE International Maritime Organization’s evacuation plan — developed with Oman, Iran and the US — remains suspended as secretary‑general Arsenio Dominguez again seeks firm assurances that ships using the corridor will not be attacked. Yet traffic through the Strait of Hormuz has continued largely unabated, even after the strike on Ever Lovely and despite the IMO’s decision to pause the initiative.
Singapore-flagged, 2015-built, 8,488 teu Evergreen containership Ever Lovely ( IMO: 9629110 ) was struck by a projectile while transiting the southern route, which hugs the Omani coastline, on Thursday (June 25).
That incident followed a statement by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy issued that morning, reaffirming that the only legitimate route through the Strait of Hormuz was the northern route it controls.
Speaking to reporters in a press conference on Friday, Dominguez confirmed that Ever Lovely was not transiting as part of the evacuation plan and did not contact Omani authorities as part of that framework.