With the Strait of Hormuz officially open to commercial shipping traffic following the US-Iran agreement signed on June 17, the complex question of how long it will take de-mine the crucial waterway remains.
Thursday saw the highest number of vessels traversing the strait since April, according to marine intelligence firm AXSMarine. At least 12 vessels crossed the Strait of Hormuz on Friday, including 5 tankers and 7 cargo ships, data from Marine Traffic showed.
While traffic in the strait appears to be rebounding, it is still far below pre-war levels which saw an average of 110 vessels crossing the strait daily.
Iran will be tasked with neutralizing mines and clearing obstacles, as stated in the Memorandum of Understanding with the US, but experts warn the task requires painstaking precision and it could take weeks for sailing to normalize.
Iran has warned the owners and captains of all ships intending to transit the strait that they must receive a permit and insurance before being allowed to enter the vital waterway in order to ensure the “safe passage of commercial vessels.”
Tehran’s newly created Persian Gulf Strait Authority (PGSA) said ships must “strictly adhere” to a fixed route near Larak Island in the waterway. The vessel’s owner and master will assume full responsibility for any resultant damage, the PGSA said.
Iran alerted several ships stating that they do not have permission to transit overnight, according to a situational update from the International Association of Independent Tanker Owners (INTERTANKO).
It is expected that a “mine danger area” will be issued as a navigational warning available upon request from the US, INTERTANKO said.
The maritime security threat level in the Strait of Hormuz was downgraded to ‘moderate’ by the the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) on Thursday.
CNN’s Avery Schmidtz, Rupert Neate and Adam Pourahmadi contributed reporting.
