Most Strait of Hormuz shipping at a standstill despite latest US pledge

There were no signs of increased vessel traffic through the Strait of Hormuz ‌on Monday (4), a day after President Donald Trump said the U.S. would begin efforts to free up shipping.

Only one tanker, a sanctioned, handy-sized LPG carrier, along with a few cargo ships and a cable-laying vessel passed into the Gulf of ​Oman on Monday, MarineTraffic data showed.

No tankers or other commercial vessels were seen lining up ​to transit and German shipping group Hapag-Lloyd said transit for its vessels remained ⁠impossible due to a lack of clarity over secure passage procedures.

U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) said it would ​begin helping to restore freedom of navigation through the strait on Monday, while continuing its blockade of Iranian ​ports.

The shipping industry has received no guidance regarding the U.S. operation and its intent, while the overall security situation remained unchanged, shipping association the Baltic and International Maritime Council (BIMCO) said.

“Without consent from Iran to let commercial ships transit safely ​through the Strait of Hormuz, it is currently not clear whether the Iranian threat to ships ​can be degraded or suppressed,” its chief safety and security officer, Jakob Larsen, said. BIMCO provides security alerts for the ‌industry.

Hundreds ⁠of commercial vessels and up to 20,000 seafarers have been unable to transit the waterway as a result of the Iran war, the International Maritime Organization said.

The U.S.-led Joint Maritime Information Center said the maritime security threat level in the strait remained “critical”, advising mariners to consider routing via Omani territorial waters ​south of the traffic separation ​scheme.

CENTCOM described U.S. ⁠missions as “defensive” and said they would combine diplomatic efforts with military coordination.
Iran, meanwhile, warned the U.S. Navy to stay out of the Strait of Hormuz and said ​commercial vessels would need to coordinate any passage with its military. It ​also issued a new ⁠map outlining what it said was Iran’s control area.

Pakistan said all 22 crew members of the Iranian-flagged container ship Touska, which was boarded and seized by U.S. forces last month, were evacuated to Pakistan and would ⁠be returned ​home.

The vessel will also be returned to its owners after ​repairs, Pakistan’s foreign ministry said, calling the move a “confidence-building measure”.

The U.S. naval blockade imposed on Iranian ports on April 13 has also ​shrunk Tehran’s oil exports.

Tensions involving U.S. warship

Tensions in the waterway remained high on Monday morning. Iran’s navy said it had prevented U.S. warships from entering the Strait of Hormuz, state television reported, while the Fars news agency said two missiles struck a U.S. warship near Jask, in the Gulf of Oman, after it ignored Iranian warnings.

A senior U.S. official, however, denied that an American vessel had been hit by Iranian missiles, according to a reporter for the Axios website. Reuters was unable to independently verify the reports.

In addition, the United Arab Emirates accused Iran of carrying out a drone attack on an empty tanker owned by Abu Dhabi’s state oil company, ADNOC, as the vessel was attempting to pass through Hormuz.

ADNOC’s maritime energy logistics unit said the Barakah was empty when it was hit by two drones and that no one was injured.

The UAE Foreign Ministry also stressed the need for Iran to halt the attacks and fully uphold its commitment to “the immediate cessation of all hostilities and the full and unconditional reopening of the Strait of Hormuz.”

Reporting by Nerijus Adomaitis for Reuters

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