TAIPEI, June 26 (Reuters) – A ship belonging to Evergreen Marine was hit by an unknown object off Oman but has now safely departed the Strait of Hormuz, the Taiwanese company said on Friday.
In a statement to the Taiwan stock exchange, the company said the starboard side of the bridge of the Ever Lovely, owned by its Singapore subsidiary, was hit a day earlier by an unknown object 3.6 nautical miles off Oman’s Khawr Naiwah.
After an initial inspection by the crew, damage was found around the bridge windows. But the crew, vessel and cargo are all safe, it said.
The main engine and navigation instruments are operating normally and there are no seaworthiness issues, the company said.
It added that the ship was following the recommended route of the British navy agency UKMTO while passing through the strait.
UKMTO said on Thursday that a cargo ship had reported a suspected attack as it attempted to pass through the Strait of Hormuz close to the Omani coast.
In a press statement on Friday, the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore said it was aware that the Singapore-flagged Ever Lovely sustained damage at about 1000 SGT on Thursday, and that it would remain in close contact with the vessel’s management company.
It added that it was deeply concerned about the incident, which it said was “unprovoked, unjustifiable and a breach of international law”.
(Reporting by Ben Blanchard; Editing by Thomas Derpinghaus, Aidan Lewis)
