Some ships refusing US-military guided Hormuz transits after attacks, sources say

Shipping companies are avoiding using a US military-guided transit scheme through the Strait of Hormuz after a wave of Iranian attacks on vessels sparked safety concerns, seven maritime security and shipping industry sources say.

For decades, ships sailed into and out of the Gulf using a safe set of lanes down the middle of the strait established by the UN’s shipping agency in 1968, dubbed the Traffic Separation Scheme.

Since the Iran war began on February 28, Iranian forces have reportedly mined this area, forcing vessels to use one of two makeshift routes close to either the Iranian or Omani coast.

In June, Reuters reported that the US military had helped vessels through as part of an operation involving scores of secretive ship-to-ship oil transfers to keep Gulf energy exports flowing, using aerial and water drones as well as helicopters to guide tankers.

The US-assisted initiative enabled the export of tens of millions of barrels of oil, helping dampen the impact on energy prices of the largest-ever disruption in oil and gas supplies.

Yet shippers are evaluating the route on the Omani side of the strait as increasingly dangerous after a wave of attacks on ships.

Some five ships have been attacked since July 7 – three crude supertankers, one LNG tanker and one container ship – in Omani waters that fell under the US scheme, according to analysis of incidents based on data from the UN’s shipping agency.

It is unclear if all the ships were sailing under the US scheme, the sources say.

“The US doesn’t seem to have any control over the situation,” one shipping source says, adding that their company had opted not to sail through the strait due to crew safety concerns and the deteriorating security situation.

“Iran’s continued ability to target ships sailing through the Omani route means the Trump administration’s proposed solution to keep ships moving is unlikely to work,” says Torbjorn Solvedt, principal Middle East analyst with risk intelligence company Verisk Maplecroft.