More and more vessels are passing through the strait, including those that have no apparent ties to Iran or China, Bloomberg reports. The agency explains that countries are negotiating with Tehran to allow their ships to transit safely. Over the last 24 hours, liquefied petroleum gas transporters dominated, including one heading to India and others linked to Iran.
Read also: The surprising effect of the war in Iran. Caps and garbage bags are missing
The ships are sailing
According to the agency, a total of 13 ships have passed through the strait since Friday morning – 10 left the Persian Gulf and three entered from the open sea. However, this is still a small number compared to the period before the war, which began on February 28. Under normal conditions, about one-fifth of global crude oil and liquefied natural gas shipments pass through the strait every day.
Iran has tightened control over the waterway, introducing a toll system and directing most ships to a specific route close to its border. Over the last 24 hours, all recorded crossings took place through the narrow northern corridor located between the Iranian islands of Larak and Qeshm.
Recent crossings included a French container ship and a Japanese LNG tanker – likely the first such voyages since the start of the war. It is unclear whether they were the result of diplomatic actions or negotiations conducted by shipping companies and their intermediaries.
Tracking tankers is hampered by electronic interference with ship signals, and some vessels turn off their AIS transponders in dangerous areas, which further reduces the validity and reliability of the data.
Polish captain Prof. talked about the situation in the Strait of Hormuz in an interview with Business Insider. Grzegorz Rutkowski. You can read the article HERE.
