Strait of Hormuz Blocked by Mines, Shipping Delays Expected
The centre of the Strait of Hormuz remains obstructed by approximately 80 mines, which must be cleared before normal shipping operations can resume, according to the independent tanker owner trade body.
Following a recent ceasefire between the US and Iran, several vessels began exiting the Gulf through this critical maritime chokepoint on Thursday. However, shipping is not anticipated to return to normal for some time due to the presence of mines and other hazards, highlighting ongoing challenges for global trade.
“The main route … through the middle of the strait of Hormuz, that’s closed, that’s dangerous,” said Phil Belcher, marine director at Intertanko, the association of independent tanker owners.
“The latest figure we had was that there’s 80 mines in the strait of Hormuz. It’s an enormous amount and it’s going to take some time to clear.”
During the conflict, Tehran deployed mines in the centre of the strait within the traffic separation scheme, established between Iran and Oman since 1968, to restrict tanker and vessel movements.
Approximately 20,000 seafarers were stranded on either side of the channel, although some ships managed to transit the area. Others paid to navigate through Iranian waters in order to bypass the blocked central route.
The shipping industry is eager to see a return to the standard route, which before the conflict allowed about 130 ships per day to safely cross the strait, a passage through which a significant portion of global oil supply transits.
“This is like a highway where the road in the middle is closed and you are using the hard shoulder,” said Belcher.
“We need to get the highway open so we can get the volume of traffic through safely. One of the big issues we’ve got at the moment is the navigational risk, the risk of running aground on the rocks. It’s very close to the rocks on the southern route, the Omani route.”
With many vessels attempting to pass through narrow areas of the strait, the shipping industry warns of increased collision risks. This danger is exacerbated by reported “signal jamming” by Iran during the conflict, where electronic interference has disrupted ships’ navigation and positioning systems, effectively leaving them without reliable guidance.
A collision, grounding, or sinking could cause further disruption to global trade. Shipping companies recall the significant disruption caused in 2021 when the container ship Ever Given blocked the Suez Canal.
Nearly 600 vessels are believed to remain anchored in the Gulf since February, indicating that the backlog of ships will take considerable time to clear.
Richard Meade, editor-in-chief at maritime data provider Lloyd’s List, commented on the situation:
“We are in uncharted territory. I don’t think [shipping in the strait] is getting back to normal this year.”
Additional concerns persist regarding Iran’s announcement that it intends to impose tolls on vessels passing through the strait, a move considered illegal under international law.
Under the 1988 Convention on the Territorial Sea and the Contiguous Zone, Iran is obligated to ensure toll-free passage for commercial vessels for at least 60 days, with full restoration of traffic within 30 days. Tehran has stated it would begin charging fees to cover waterway management costs after this 60-day period.
The German container shipping company Hapag-Lloyd has publicly stated that charging vessels to transit international waters would be “fundamentally wrong.” A company spokesperson explained:
“Tolls for infrastructure such as the Suez or Panama canals are different, as they reflect major infrastructure investments. That’s not the case in the strait of Hormuz.”
The shipping industry is concerned that Iran’s decision to charge fees could establish a precedent for other critical maritime channels bordered by multiple states, including the Strait of Malacca between Singapore, Malaysia, and Indonesia, and the Taiwan Strait separating Taiwan from mainland China.
