- Pakistani tanker sailed through Hormuz with open signals: report.
- Use of new route appears to be tied to Iran’s apparent approval.
- Iran attacks vessels or uses mines on traditional route: report.
A Pakistani-flagged tanker has become the latest vessel to navigate the Strait of Hormuz by sailing closely along the Iranian coastline, indicating that vessels may now require Tehran’s approval for safe passage through the world’s most critical oil chokepoint amid escalating regional tensions, Bloomberg reported on Tuesday.
The US-Israeli war on Iran is in its third week, with at least 2,000 people dead and no end in sight.
The Strait of Hormuz — which carries 20% of the world’s oil and liquefied natural gas — remains largely closed off, with US allies rebuffing President Donald Trump’s request for help to reopen the critical waterway, spiking energy prices and fears of inflation around the world.
According to vessel-tracking data compiled by Bloomberg, the Pakistani-flagged Karachi sailed through a narrow gap between the two Iranian islands of Larak and Qeshm with open signals on Sunday, before tracking the coast into the Gulf of Oman.
Meanwhile, two bulk carriers took the same route on Monday morning, openly signalling that they were transiting through the chokepoint even as other ships prefer to switch off transponders for safety.
Two India-flagged liquefied petroleum gas tankers also transit the strait in the early hours of Saturday, while a Gambia-flagged general cargo ship just exited the waterway on Tuesday.
“Sporadic signals placed the three vessels near Larak, but the full route could not be determined because of electronic interference that scrambles information coming from vessels in the region,” the publication reported.
Harrison Prétat, deputy director and fellow with the Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative at the Centre for Strategic and International Studies, believes that if the route continues to be used successfully, it could mean a traffic control system is being imposed by Iran.
“That could mean Tehran attacks vessels or uses mines on the traditional route — while maintaining a free channel for friendly tankers on the other side,” the publication stated.
Speaking to Bloomberg, Prétat said that the use of this route so far appears to be tied to Iran’s apparent approval of specific ships transiting the strait, which makes some sense, as this area would be easier for Iranian authorities to control.
Since US and Israeli attacks began more than two weeks ago, Iran has targeted several vessels in and around the Strait of Hormuz, effectively restricting traffic through the critical waterway. The disruption has left some ships stranded inside the Persian Gulf while others have been unable to enter, creating an unprecedented shock to energy trade.
“This creates a system in which the Strait is not formally closed, yet transit increasingly depends on political understandings with Tehran,” analysts at JPMorgan Chase & Co, including Natasha Kaneva, said in a note.
Under normal conditions, vessels rarely sail so close to Iran due to security concerns. Standard navigation routes also direct ships exiting the strait towards the opposite side of the channel, although at least one vessel using the traditional path was attacked last week.
“We could be seeing the start of a verification process by Iran, whereby ships must be approved to transit via the Strait of Hormuz by calling between Larak and Qeshm,” said Martin Kelly.
While these transits have provided some reassurance to oil traders, the route’s proximity to Iran continues to raise concerns for insurers and banks financing commodity shipments. Insurers typically classify high-risk zones in policy terms, while banks may issue compliance alerts when vessels they finance operate near Iranian waters.
However, the number of ships using the route remains a small fraction of normal traffic.
“These limited authorised passages fall far short of restoring typical shipping volumes or energy flows from the region,” Harrison Prétat added.
