Iran threatens to detain and confiscate vessels in the Strait of Hormuz
Iran has tightened control over shipping through the Strait of Hormuz and threatened fines, detention, and confiscation of vessels that, according to Tehran, violate its established transit rules.
According to the Financial Times, 46 vessels, including those linked to major shipping and energy companies from the UAE and South Korea, have come under threat of sanctions. Iran's Strait Administration has added them to a list of violators.
Meanwhile, in the list published by the Iranian side, cited by Reuters, 45 tankers appear. Among them are oil and product tankers, gas carriers for LNG and liquefied petroleum gas. The list includes vessels linked to Adnoc from the UAE, Saudi Bahri, Norwegian Klaveness Ship Management, Stolt Tankers, and South Korean Sinokor.
The Administration of the Persian Gulf Strait, created by Iran, stated that vessels from the blacklist may be fined or detained during subsequent passages, and their cargoes confiscated. Shipowners and cargo owners are advised to check the list before concluding new transportation contracts.
The restrictions may extend further. Tehran has warned that vessels performing ship-to-ship transfers, transshipment, or other operations with blacklisted ships may also be recognized as violators. To remove a vessel from the list, its owner must contact Iranian maritime authorities and provide explanations.
The new measures raise risks for shipping through one of the world's most important routes for oil and gas trade. Traffic through Hormuz has already fallen sharply after attacks on tankers and the escalation of the conflict around Iran.
According to analytics company Windward, cited by the Financial Times, the number of daily passages through the strait has decreased from more than 130 to about 16. Other monitoring systems also record a sharp drop in activity: Kpler counted five passages of merchant vessels on Saturday and none on Sunday against 31 over the previous weekend.
The tightening of rules came after new threats from Washington to increase economic pressure on Tehran. The administration of US President Donald Trump is preparing a new sanctions campaign against Iran and countries and companies that help it maintain foreign trade. In response, Iranian authorities warned that further economic measures could be considered an act of war.
Against this backdrop, uncertainty remains regarding the actual volumes of oil exports through the strait. US authorities claim that more than 8 million barrels of oil per day pass through Hormuz, but data from commercial tracking services show significantly lower volumes. The discrepancy is partly attributed to the fact that some tankers turn off their automatic identification systems.
The Strait of Hormuz remains a key export route for energy resources from Persian Gulf countries. Further restriction of traffic through it could increase shipping and insurance costs and create additional risks for global oil and LNG supplies.
Sources: Financial Times, Anadolu
