Four vessels with links to Iran have crossed the Strait of Hormuz despite the start of a US naval blockade, according to ship-tracking data. However, two of those vessels appear to have reversed course, as location data published by MarineTraffic indicates.
The US-sanctioned tanker Rich Starry, which reported carrying cargo, sailed east from Sharjah in the UAE through the strait overnight but has since changed direction. MarineTraffic data also shows the bulk carrier Christianna, which sailed east through the waterway on Monday after calling at Bandar Iman Khomeini in Iran, has also turned back.
Another tanker, the US-sanctioned Elpis, transited the strait on Tuesday and may have originated from the Iranian port of Bushehr, according to MarineTraffic. Tracking data showed this vessel stationary on the eastern side of the strait on Tuesday evening.
US Central Command stated on Tuesday that six vessels had complied with US orders to turn around and that “no ships from Iranian ports made it past the blockade.”
Tracking data analysed by BBC Verify also reveals two Iranian-flagged ships leaving the vicinity of Iran’s Chahbahar port – located east of the Strait of Hormuz on Iran’s southern coast – after the blockade began. The cargo ship Ashkan3 and container ship Shabdis both departed from near the port on Tuesday and have reportedly traveled more than 500km (310 miles) out of Iranian waters.
Understanding vessel locations in the region is complicated by the possibility that some may have been “spoofing” their location signals or submitting incomplete or no data. Tracking data suggests at least four additional vessels with no obvious links to Iran have crossed the strait since the blockade commenced on Monday.
The Strait of Hormuz has become a focal point of the US-Israel war with Iran after Tehran effectively choked off one of the world’s most important shipping lanes. President Donald Trump has stated the US blockade is in response to Iran “knowingly failing” to reopen the strait. He also warned the US Navy would “blow to hell” any Iranians that attack them and would take action against any ship found to be paying transit tolls to Iran.
The disruption to shipping since the conflict began six weeks ago has sent shock waves across the global economy, destabilising energy prices and exposing the reliance of international supply chains on this channel connecting the Gulf with the Indian Ocean.
Jakob Larsen from the Baltic and International Maritime Council, representing shipowners, told BBC Verify he is concerned about the “risk of further escalation to involve direct attacks on ships” with the introduction of the US blockade.
BBC Verify tracked 18 vessels transiting the Strait of Hormuz between the breakdown of ceasefire talks and Trump’s announcement of a blockade on Sunday evening. At least 16 of these appeared to have links to Iran, with some sailing under the Iranian flag and others seemingly having called at Iranian ports. An average of 138 ships passed through the strait each day before the conflict started on February 28, according to the Joint Maritime Information Centre.
‘Nearly 800 ships stuck’
If crossings for ships not linked to Iran do resume at a greater pace, experts say stranded tankers fully loaded with cargo will be the priority. “You’ve had nearly 800 ships stuck in there for several weeks. Most of them are now loaded with cargo so the priority is going to be to get them out,” said Richard Meade, editor-in-chief of Lloyd’s List.
BBC Verify’s analysis shows ships that have passed the strait have taken a northerly route close to Iran’s coastline and within its territorial waters. Prior to the conflict, vessels usually took a more southerly route through the middle of the waterway.
Another uncertainty is the possibility of sea mines, says Thomas Kazakos, secretary general of the International Chamber of Shipping. “We need to make sure that we have clear confirmation that the safety of navigation for the ships and the seafarers are being agreed,” he told BBC Verify.
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Navy published what it states are the permitted routes to be followed when passing through the strait “to avoid possible collision with sea mines.” It has marked a region in the middle of the channel as a “dangerous area” to be avoided.
Centcom previously announced that two destroyers – the USS Frank E Petersen and USS Michael Murphy – are in the area as part of a mission to clear “sea mines previously laid by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps.”
Additional reporting by Kayleen Devlin and Shruti Menon
April 14: This piece is being updated to reflect the latest number of vessels crossing the strait since the ceasefire.
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