All Clear through Hormuz? Not Quite, Cargo Ship Reports Suspected Attack
A cargo ship reported a suspected attack as it attempted to pass through the Strait of Hormuz close to the coast of Oman on Thursday, British navy agency UKMTO said.The UN's International Maritime Organization is currently assisting ships escape the Gulf, hundreds of which have been stranded there since the Iran war began at the end of February.The ship reported being struck on its starboard side by a projectile 7.5 nautical miles southeast of Oman's port of Dahit, the UKMTO said.Another maritime security source said the vessel was likely targeted by a drone…
Crude Oil Shipments Through Hormuz at Reach Highest Level Since Start of War
Crude shipments through the Strait of Hormuz rose this week to their highest level since the U.S.-Israeli conflict with Iran began in February after a ceasefire deal reopened the waterway, data showed on Thursday.Concerns about how long the strait would stay open also boosted trade.Still, while there was an increase in oil shipments amid strong demand, especially in Asia after months of disruptions, overall sailings are still a fraction of the daily average of 125 ships passing…
Oman, Iran Discuss Managing Strait of Hormuz Navigation
Oman and Iran agreed on Tuesday to press on with discussions about the future administration of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz, including maritime services in the strategic waterway and the costs associated with them.In a joint statement issued after talks in Muscat, the two countries said a joint working group involving their foreign ministries would be formed to continue the discussions and that they would consult other littoral states and relevant parties.The move appears…
Oil Prices Fall 4% as US-Iran Talks Ease Supply Risks
Oil prices fell 4% on Monday after U.S. Vice President JD Vance said progress has been made in talks with Iran and that the Strait of Hormuz was open, easing supply concerns.Brent crude was down $3.18 or 3.95%, at $77.39 a barrel by 11:44 a.m. ET (1544 GMT) Prices had climbed to $82.30 at the start of trading because of threats from U.S. President Donald Trump to restart the war on Iran, as well as an announcement from Tehran that it had again closed the Strait of Hormuz.U.S.
Oil Shipments Through Hormuz Pick Up on Back End of Ceasefire
Oil shipments through the Strait of Hormuz picked up on Friday after the United States and Iran signed a ceasefire deal, with Gulf producers preparing to raise exports despite concerns over conditions set by Tehran for using the vital waterway.Washington and Tehran released the text of an interim agreement signed on Wednesday to end the conflict, although U.S. President Donald Trump warned he could resume attacks and target Iranian officials if commitments are not honoured.At least four tankers carrying crude…
Iran's Strait Authority to Facilitate Passage Through Hormuz
Iran's Supreme National Security Council said in a statement on Thursday that the country's Persian Gulf Strait Authority will take measures to issue fast authorizations to ships wanting to pass through the Strait of Hormuz as per the memorandum of understanding signed by Tehran and Washington.Measures on mine clearance will be carried out under the Islamabad MoU, though ships are advised to stick to the path and timing allocated by the authority, the statement published by state media added.The U.S.
Fertilizer Shipments Should Bounce Back with U.S.-Iran Deal
"Global fertilizer shipments have fallen 11% y/y since the start of the Iran war. The closure of the Strait of Hormuz has restricted fertilizer exports from the Persian Gulf, tightening the global supply and increasing prices. The ceasefire agreement between the US and Iran could lead to a rebound in shipments,” says Filipe Gouveia, Shipping Analysis Manager at BIMCO.Under normal conditions, 16% of global fertilizer shipments come from the Persian Gulf and pass through the Strait of Hormuz. The closure of the strait has significantly disrupted cargo volumes.
Iran Gears Up to Boost Oil Exports
While U.S. President Donald Trump has recently hailed the resumption of oil flows from Gulf allies, Iran, too, appears to be gearing up to resume exports and trading.At least three tankers carrying some five million barrels of Iranian oil have sailed through the U.S. naval blockade this week, shipping data shows, despite the U.S. military saying its operations against Iran-linked shipping will stay in place until Friday.The oil market has focused on a deal to end the Iran war…
The U.S. is Using Iranian Oil Smuggling Tactics
The United States military has overseen scores of secretive ship-to-ship oil transfers to keep Gulf energy exports flowing, using aerial and water drones as well as helicopters in an operation to guide convoys to awaiting tankers.The operation on the edge of the Strait of Hormuz employs a shuttling technique long used by Iran to skirt sanctions.Two specific locations where the oil transfers take place were identified by 11 people familiar with the operation – one off the coast of Fujairah in the United Arab Emirates and the other off Oman’s port of Sohar.It started in early May…
US and Iran Sign MOU to Settle War, Hormuz Traffic Expected to Pick Up
The United States and Iran have signed a memorandum of understanding to settle a near four-month war, senior U.S. officials said on Monday, adding that a signing ceremony would take place on Friday and shipping traffic in the strait of Hormuz would gradually ramp up.The memorandum of understanding has been signed by President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance and Iranian parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf, one U.S. official said.Speaking at a briefing with reporters, the U.S.
Global Shippers: Confidence in Resuming Hormuz Transit Will Take Time
Shippers in Asia and Europe said confidence in resuming transit through the Strait of Hormuz could take weeks to rebuild and navigation will only restart once safety is assured, after the U.S. and Iran agreed a framework deal to reopen the waterway.U.S. and Iranian officials are expected to sign a memorandum of understanding to end their war and reopen the strait on Friday. Global oil prices fell about 5% on Monday in response.President Donald Trump said in a Truth Social post that ships loaded with oil are starting to move out of the strait…
Iran Prevents Tanker from Entering Strait of Hormuz
Iranian forces prevented a tanker from transiting the Strait of Hormuz without coordination, state media reported early on Friday.Iranian media earlier reported sounds of explosions near Bandar Abbas, but state news agency IRNA later said no explosions had been reported in the port city and that any sounds could have been related to military activity in maritime areas.Iran's top joint military command announced on Thursday the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, including oil tankers and commercial ships, saying any vessel that will attempt passage will be shot at.Iranian media also reported expl
Oil Rises $2 as Iran Announces Closure of Strait of Hormuz
Oil prices climbed more than $2 a barrel Thursday as Iran declared the critical energy chokepoint, the Strait of Hormuz, closed after the U.S. launched additional strikes against Iran.Brent futures LCOc1 rose $2.30, or 2.47%, to $95.40 a barrel, while U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) CLc1 crude climbed $2.60, or 2.89%, to $92.63. U.S. crude futures gained more than $3 earlier in the session.Iran's top joint military command announced the closure of the Strait of Hormuz on Thursday…
Trump Threatens to Attack Iran, Claims Oil Has Been Transported Through Hormuz
U.S. President Donald Trump said on Wednesday that the United States will attack Iran if no peace deal is secured and that the U.S. military secretly escorted ships carrying more than 100 million barrels of oil out of the Strait of Hormuz."We're going to be attacking them, attacking them very hard," Trump told reporters at the White House. He said the U.S. would strike Iran on Wednesday, in response to Iran's downing of an Apache helicopter in the Strait of Hormuz.Trump said later on Truth Social that he had directed last month the U.S.
Dominguez Warns: No Safe Hormuz Passage
Secretary-General of the IMO, Arsenio Dominguez, has issued a warning to the shipping industry:"I am increasingly concerned by reports that vessels continue to attempt to transit the Strait of Hormuz without any credible security guarantees, despite well‑established risks and the fact that seafarers have already been killed, injured and others detained in recent incidents.“My primary concern is for the safety and lives of the seafarers being placed in these situations. They must not be exposed to conditions where the risks are known, significant, and clearly beyond mitigation.
CMA CGM Chief: “Unwise” to Assume Hormuz Will Return to Pre-War Situation
It would be "unwise" to assume that the situation in the Strait of Hormuz will return to how it was before the Iran war, the head of French shipping group CMA CGM said on Tuesday.CMA CGM, the world's third-largest container line, is among firms with vessels stranded inside the Gulf since the start of the conflict that has virtually closed the waterway, which carries a fifth of global oil and LNG supply."Even if a solution for peace is implemented in the coming weeks, there's no guarantee there won't be another crisis later on and we can't be prisoners to Hormuz…
Fifth Qatari-Controlled LNG Tanker Exits Hormuz Strait
A fifth Qatari liquefied natural gas tanker has transited the Strait of Hormuz with a cargo, ship-tracking data showed, bringing the total number of loaded LNG vessels to have exited the waterway since the war started to nine.Controlled by QatarEnergy, the Al Daayen tanker was seen on ship-tracking data off the coast of Qatar around June 4-5, according to analytics firms Kper and LSEG. It reappeared on ship-tracking data on Monday that showed it east of the strait with the vessel indicating that it was heading for China.According to Kper data…
US Disables Tanker; Indian Crew Safe After Fire
U.S. forces disabled an unladen oil tanker in the Gulf of Oman on Monday after it attempted to sail to an Iranian port in violation of the ongoing blockade against Iran, the U.S. military said.U.S. Central Command said in a post on X that the M/T Marivex, a Palau-flagged vessel, was transiting international waters in the Gulf of Oman toward Iran when it was targeted.An F/A-18 Super Hornet from the USS Abraham Lincoln fired a precision munition into the ship's engineering and steering spaces after the crew failed to comply with directions from U.S.
Gulf Hostilities Spike as Iran, US Launch Attacks
Gulf hostilities flared again on Wednesday as Iranian attacks on Kuwait damaged its airport and injured dozens while the U.S. military carried out strikes near the Strait of Hormuz, with diplomacy to halt the war showing little sign of progress.The attacks are the latest to test a shaky ceasefire, sending oil prices up nearly 2%, as the strait remains largely closed more than three months after the U.S. and Israel launched strikes on Iran.Flights at Kuwait International Airport were suspended after an Iranian drone and missile attack damaged airport facilities and diplomatic missions…
US Fires Hellfire Missile at Tanker
The U.S. military fired a Hellfire missile at a tanker heading toward Iran on Tuesday as part of a blockade being imposed by President Donald Trump, who is pressing Tehran to negotiate a peace agreement on his terms.The U.S. military's Central Command posted a video showing the missile strike the tanker and said it targeted the Botswana-flagged M/T Lexie's engine room, disabling it."The ship's crew ignored repeated warnings, failing to comply with directions from U.S. forces multiple times over a 24-hour period," Central Command said in a statement."A U.S.
IMO: Still Too Risky to Move Seafarers Out of Gulf
Despite the current ceasefire between the United States and Iran, it remains too risky to move the thousands of sailors stuck in the Gulf, the head of the IMO said."We will not be able to activate anything until the root causes are addressed and there is more of a final agreement, a ceasefire, or complete agreement, between the parties involved in the conflict," Arsenio Dominguez, secretary-general, told Reuters on Sunday ahead of the start of the Posidonia shipping industry week in Athens.There are an estimated 20…
US Military Says it Fired Missile into Engine Room of Blockade Runner
The U.S. military says it fired a missile into the engine room of a vessel trying to get through the U.S. blockade of Iran on Friday.In a statement on Saturday, U.S. Central Command said it fired a Hellfire missile into the engine room of the Gambia-flagged Lian Star as it was "transiting international waters toward an Iranian port on the Gulf of Oman."Before the attack, U.S. forces issued "more than 20 warnings" informing the vessel it was in violation of the U.S. blockade, according…
Oil Prices Fall on Hopes of a US-Iran Ceasefire
Oil futures fell more than 2% on Friday, closing out their steepest weekly decline since early April as traders awaited word that the U.S., Israel and Iran had reached agreement on a ceasefire.Brent crude futures for July, which expired on Friday, settled at $92.05 a barrel, down $1.66, or 1.8%. WTI U.S. oil futures Reutersfinished at $87.36 a barrel, down $1.54 or 1.7%."Obviously, the market thinks the ceasefire will be all easy-peasy and is done and dusted," said John Kilduff, partner with Again Capital.The three-month war between the U.S.