US has helped guide ships going dark through the Strait of Hormuz — report

Some ships have managed to traverse the blockaded Strait of Hormuz by turning off lights and navigation beacons and relying on US military guidance to avoid collisions, say shipowners and US officials cited by The Wall Street Journal.

The sources say the US advises the ships on when to go dark and how to handle threats from Iranian forces.

Some ships were going dark and sailing through a part of the Persian Gulf that was cleared by the US earlier this month as part of “Project Freedom,” the US initiative to guide shipping that was suspended amid opposition from Gulf allies.

One ship that traversed the strait in this fashion earlier this week was a Greek oil tanker carrying two million barrels of crude, the Journal says. The ship was reportedly stuck in the Persian Gulf since early March, traveled along the coast of Oman and is now en route to its destination in India.

Fewer than five ships a day have gone dark through the Strait of Hormuz since March 2, according to figures that the Journal published from intelligence firm Kpler, and it’s unclear how many of those ships were guided by the US military. Most ships traveled on the Iranian-sanctioned route, the figures show.

Cpt. Tim Hawkins, a spokesperson for the US military’s Central Command, tells the Journal that the US is continually communicating and coordinating with ships that traverse the strait.