A planned operation by the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) to evacuate ships and seafarers from the Gulf has been suspended following a sharp increase in military operations around the Strait of Hormuz.

The pause comes after two commercial vessels were attacked within 24 hours. On Friday, the Evergreen containership MV Ever Lonely was reportedly struck by a suspected missile while transiting the Strait. Then, in the early hours of Saturday, the Panama-flagged tanker MV Kiku, carrying more than two million barrels of crude oil, was reportedly hit by a drone in the same waterway.

No injuries or casualties have been reported in either attack. Although both vessels sustained damage, they were each able to continue their journeys.

The IMO had been preparing a large-scale effort to escort or relocate ships from the area, but those plans have now been placed on hold. According to reports, more than 500 vessels and around 11,000 crew members have been unable to depart the Gulf since the conflict began.

The latest incidents have also triggered renewed military exchanges between the United States and Iran, raising questions over the future of the recently signed Memorandum of Understanding between the two countries.

US officials said the strike on Ever Lonely followed a warning from Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps that vessels using unauthorised routes could face “unacceptable and completely dangerous” consequences. The IRGC said ships should coordinate their movements with Iran before passing through the area.

IMO secretary-general Arsenio Dominguez said Ever Lonely had not been operating under the organisation’s evacuation framework when it was attacked.

Unique Forwarding is continuing to monitor the situation closely.