Hormuz Strait Traffic Flows Smoothly Despite Ship Attack

DOCUMENTATION/Hormuz Strait/PHOTO MC2 Indra Beaufort via Wikimedia Commons

JAKARTA - Ship traffic through the Strait of Hormuz continues in both directions despite attacks on container ships that have prompted some ship owners to reconsider plans to transit through the key energy route.

The attack on the Ever Lovely on Thursday, June 25, the first incident since the US-Iranian interim peace deal was signed, led some ship owners and captains to delay or review plans to leave the Gulf.

At least one Asia-based company reportedly told ship crews in the Gulf to stay put while executives reassessed transit options.

Ship tracking data showed the incident did not halt the gradual recovery of traffic through the strait.

Two tankers full of cargo were seen heading out of the Gulf on Friday, while four empty very large crude carriers (VLCCs) were among those sailing in along the Omani coast.

The southern route is managed by Oman and coordinated by the US.

Outbound traffic along the Oman route includes an Aframax tanker heading to India and a small tanker subject to US sanctions.

A VLCC loaded with crude oil from the United Arab Emirates (UAE) also entered the strait, along with a product tanker loaded from the same exporter.

In the opposite direction, an empty VLCC heading to Basrah, Iraq, entered the waterway, along with three other vessels linked to the UAE. A liquefied natural gas carrier off Khor Fakkan also appeared to be trying to cross the strait.

Several vessels used the northern route near Iran, which is recognized by the International Maritime Organization (IMO), including a South Korean-flagged product tanker, another product tanker heading to Indonesia, and a bulk carrier.

The management of Hormuz remains a point of friction between Washington and Tehran. The US says Iran must keep the strait toll-free and prevent the imposition of fees on shipments if it wants to reach a permanent peace deal.

Windward data also showed 62 vessels crossed the Strait of Hormuz on June 24, including 21 incoming vessels and 41 outgoing vessels.

Five "dark" transits were recorded, with two inbound and three outbound, referring to vessels moving with limited or no AIS visibility.

The outgoing traffic is concentrated in the southern corridor, with 26 of the 41 ships leaving using the route, while the northern corridor remains the main route adjacent to Iran for incoming traffic.

Data also showed two 333-meter VLCCs leaving the southern corridor within a minute of each other, while a South Korean-flagged VLCC that had been held in the Gulf since February had departed, suggesting that the backlog of Gulf traffic was beginning to ease.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, during a visit to the Gulf Arab states, warned any toll-charging system could encourage other governments to impose charges at maritime chokepoints, creating "chaos."

The US also urged Oman not to establish a toll-collection mechanism with Iran.

Previously, Oman and Iran said they would discuss traffic administration and related costs in the strait, while Rubio later said Muscat had assured the US that they did not support toll collection.

Meanwhile, empty LNG tankers began lining up off the coast of Qatar as the country prepares to increase exports from Ras Laffan, one of the world's largest LNG production centers.

At least eight empty LNG carriers were seen leaving the Ras Laffan facility, most of which had crossed the Strait of Hormuz over the past week.

One other tanker was heading to the plant, while two others approached the strait's eastern entrance, according to ship tracking data.

The buildup suggests Qatar is preparing to increase LNG loadings as maritime traffic through the Strait of Hormuz gradually returns to normal after months of disruption.