Maritime center says southern Hormuz passage remains open
The advisory came after Iran said it would bar vessels from the strait amid a widening exchange of attacks with the U.S.
By Daniel Okafor · Business Editor
3 min read
The southern passage through the Strait of Hormuz was still open to ships on Sunday, the Joint Maritime Information Center said, despite Iran’s declaration that it had closed the waterway. The status of the route matters because the strait has been central to U.S.-Iran talks and has carried a large share of global energy shipments.
The Joint Maritime Information Center said the route running along Oman’s coast remained available for transit. It kept the threat rating for the strait at “severe” and advised ships to expect radio contact with naval forces and to watch for possible mine hazards.
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said earlier Sunday that vessels would not be permitted to pass through the strait until foreign interference ends, according to Fortune and The Associated Press. The IRGC accused the United States of trying to cause disruptions in the area.
The advisory followed another escalation between Washington and Tehran. Fortune and The Associated Press reported that U.S. forces struck Iran overnight for the third time in a week after a Cyprus-flagged container ship was hit nine nautical miles off Oman, caught fire and was abandoned by its crew.
UK Maritime Trade Operations said local authorities rescued crew members from the damaged container ship. India said one of its nationals who had been aboard the vessel was missing.
Shipping activity appeared sharply reduced on Sunday, according to Fortune and The Associated Press. Only two oil products tankers were seen approaching the strait, and there was almost no visible traffic in the waterway.
Strait remains a flashpoint
Control of the Strait of Hormuz has been a core issue in U.S.-Iran peace negotiations, Fortune and The Associated Press reported. The waterway once carried about one-fifth of the world’s crude oil and liquefied natural gas.
The latest fighting has put pressure on a ceasefire that began last month, according to Fortune and The Associated Press. Early Sunday attacks by Iran targeted at least five U.S. allies in the region, including Qatar, Kuwait and Oman, the report said.
Iranian state media also reported incidents involving cargo vessels attempting to move through the area. IRIB said the IRGC stopped a cargo ship on Saturday after firing a warning shot, saying the ship had tried to transit the strait despite a warning.
Fars, another Iranian news agency, said Iranian forces had struck and stopped a second vessel it described as non-compliant. Fars did not provide further details, according to Fortune and The Associated Press.
The Joint Maritime Information Center’s notice left the southern route open while signaling that commercial traffic faces serious risk. Its warning to mariners underscored the gap between Iran’s public closure declaration and what maritime monitors said ships could still attempt along Oman’s coast.
This story draws on original reporting from Fortune.