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Normal shipping will not resume in strait of Hormuz until 80 mines cleared
TL;DR
Normal shipping in the Strait of Hormuz will not resume until approximately 80 mines are cleared. Despite some vessels exiting the Gulf, significant obstacles remain for global trade.
Key points
- 80 mines are blocking the Strait of Hormuz
- Normal shipping will not resume until mines are cleared
- Some vessels have begun to exit the Gulf
- Challenges for global trade continue
- A US-Iran agreement allowed limited vessel movement
The centre of the strait of Hormuz is blocked with about 80 mines that will need clearing for normal shipping to resume, the independent tanker owner trade body has said.
Several vessels began to exit the Gulf through the key maritime chokepoint on Thursday, after the signing of a memorandum of understanding between the US and Iran.
However, shipping is not expected to return to normal for some time, even if the ceasefire lasts, because of the mines and other obstacles, underlining the continuing challenges facing global trade.
“The main route … through the middle of the strait of Hormuz, that’s closed, that’s dangerous,” said Phil Belcher, marine director at Intertanko, the association of independent tanker owners.
“The latest figure we had was that there’s 80 mines in the strait of Hormuz. It’s an enormous amount and it’s going to take some time to clear.”
During the conflict Tehran laid mines in the centre of the strait in the traffic separation scheme, which has been in place between Iran and Oman since 1968, to restrict the movement of tankers and other vessels.
About 20,000 seafarers were left stuck either side of the channel, although some ships managed to sneak through at night near the Omani coast with their transmitters off and with US assistance. Others paid to travel through Iranian waters in an arrangement nicknamed “Tehran’s tollbooth”.
The shipping industry is keen to see a return to using the standard route, which before the conflict allowed about 130 ships a day to safely cross the strait, through which about 20% of global oil used to flow.
“This is like a highway where the road in the middle is closed and you are using the hard shoulder,” said Belcher.
“We need to get the highway open so we can get the volume of traffic through safely. One of the big issues we’ve got at the moment is the navigational risk, the risk of running aground on the rocks. It’s very close to the rocks on the southern route, the Omani route.”
With high numbers of vessels trying to pass through narrow areas of the strait, the shipping industry is warning of the risk of collision. This risk is intensified by the “signal jamming” that Iran has reportedly carried out during the conflict, where electronic interference has prevented ships’ navigating and positioning systems from operating, leaving them effectively sailing blind.
Q&A
How many mines are blocking the Strait of Hormuz?
About 80 mines are currently blocking the Strait of Hormuz.
What is the impact of the mines on shipping in the Strait of Hormuz?
The mines are preventing normal shipping operations, posing significant challenges for global trade.
When is normal shipping expected to resume in the Strait of Hormuz?
Normal shipping is not expected to resume for some time until the mines and other obstacles are cleared.
What recent agreement affected shipping in the Strait of Hormuz?
A memorandum of understanding between the US and Iran allowed some vessels to exit the Gulf, but shipping remains impacted by the mines.
