Traffic through the Strait of Hormuz has surged to its highest levels since the start of the war, with 21 ships transiting over the weekend as more countries secure safe-passage agreements with Iran, according to Weilun Soon and Julian Lee of Bloomberg. They write:
Traffic through the Strait of Hormuz has climbed to its highest levels since the early days of the war, as more countries secure apparent safe-passage agreements with Iran.
The waterway saw 21 ships transit over the weekend as more energy-starved governments negotiate to extract vessels, cargoes and crews from the Persian Gulf, strengthening Tehran’s grip on the waterway. That’s the highest two-day total since the first days of March, when traffic was winding down. […]
To date, the majority of green-lit ships have taken what appears to be a route indicated by Tehran, hewing close to Iran’s coast. More, however, have begun taking a path along the opposite coastline. Oman, which shares the waters of the strait, confirmed on Sunday that it has held talks to smooth the flow.
While Iranian vessels still dominate, tankers from Iraq, India, China, Japan, and other nations have begun moving through under negotiated terms. Tehran is formalizing tolls and controlling routes, keeping passage largely at its discretion, while Oman and other neighbors are working to maintain the flow.
