Ships crossing Hormuz use Oman passage despite Iran warnings

Traffic levels in the Strait of Hormuz fell back from Wednesday’s high, but vessels continued to use a non-Iranian-approved passage, despite a ship being struck by a projectile, tracking platforms show.

At least 42 commodity vessels — including tankers carrying oil, gas, and dry bulk such as fertilizers — crossed on Thursday, Kpler’s tracking platform showed, down from a high of 57 on Wednesday.

Ten of those vessels entered the Gulf, while 32 exited. Half of the 42 vessels used a southern passageway hugging the coast of Oman.

Another 29 commodity vessels had already crossed the strait by Friday afternoon, 10 coming into the Gulf and 19 leaving, according to Kpler.

Seventeen of those vessels used the Omani route, despite a Singapore-flagged container ship reporting that it had been struck while using the passageway on Thursday, according to the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) center.

Tracking platform Marine Traffic recorded around 15 tankers and cargo vessels crossing the strait between 1410 GMT, when the attack happened, and midnight Thursday.

The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said Thursday that Oman and the International Maritime Organization (IMO) announced the new corridor without consulting Tehran, and warned vessels against using it.

“The only authorized transit routes through the Strait of Hormuz are those designated by the Islamic Republic of Iran,” it said.