Strait of Hormuz toll confusion remains

The first ships passed through the Strait of Hormuz after Iran and the United States reached a two-week ceasefire agreement. MarineTraffic said Wednesday.

But more than 12 hours after the ceasefire, overall traffic on the vital waterway has not increased beyond the slow flow experienced throughout the war, experts and industry professionals say.

Iranian state news agency Fars said on Wednesday morning that oil tanker traffic in the strait was completely stopped following Israel’s attack on Lebanon, which shook the fragile ceasefire.

It is stated that the two ships identified by MarineTraffic are bulk carriers carrying dry cargo, not oil.

Uncertainty and confusion remain high in the maritime sector despite Iran’s assurances on Tuesday that ships could safely navigate the strait during a ceasefire.

This confusion stems in part from Tehran’s warning that passage through the strait would only be possible “through coordination with the Iranian Armed Forces and taking into account technical limitations.”

The potential for Iran to heavily tax ships is a major sticking point, a marine insurance executive who asked not to be named on the record told CNBC.

Iran plans to require shipping companies to pay tolls in cryptocurrency to allow oil tankers to pass through the strait, Financial Times reports reported Wednesday morning.

Iran will also inspect each ship for weapons, the FT reported, citing a spokesman for Iran’s oil, gas and petrochemical products exporters association.

Meanwhile, shipping companies largely remain in the holding pattern.

“We have no information on how we can get through the Strait of Hormuz during the ceasefire. … We are not in contact with Iranian officials,” a shipping executive with boats stranded in the Persian Gulf told CNBC.

“The most important thing for us is the safety of our crew members, and if we decide to transit, we need absolute guarantees about the safety of our crew members,” the manager said.

US officials, who boasted that the ceasefire agreement meant a complete victory over Iran, insisted on Wednesday morning that the ships were on their way.

“The Strait is open,” Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said at the press conference. At the same briefing, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Dan Caine, when asked if the strait was currently open, said, “I believe so based on diplomatic discussions.”

Meanwhile, President Donald Trump said in a speech: Real Social post He said the US would “help increase traffic in the Strait of Hormuz” overnight.

“There will be many positive actions! Big money will be made. Iran can start the rebuilding process,” he wrote. “We’ll be loading up all kinds of stuff and just ‘walking around’ to make sure everything goes smoothly. I believe it will happen.”

The post represented a stunning reversal from Trump, who days earlier had threatened to attack Iran’s civilian infrastructure unless the regime agreed to “Open the Damn Strait.” On Tuesday morning, Trump threatened that “an entire civilization will be dead” by Tuesday night if the United States and Iran fail to reach an agreement that includes reopening the strait.

Less than two hours before the deadline, Trump announced that he would suspend the planned strikes for two weeks “provided that the Islamic Republic of Iran agrees to the COMPLETE, IMMEDIATE and SAFE OPENING of the Strait of Hormuz.”

Two ships — the Greek-owned NJ Earth and the Liberian-flagged Daytona Beach — passed through the strait overnight, MarineTraffic said in an

These ship movements do not necessarily represent post-ceasefire progress.

According to Kpler’s data, before the war, 100 to 120 commercial ships, mostly oil tankers, passed through the strait every day. Traffic dropped to just a handful of ships a day when Iran attacked commercial shipping, effectively shutting down the main artery that supplies 20% of the world’s oil supply.

Before the ceasefire, ship passages through the Bosphorus began to increase. According to data from Lloyd’s List, approximately 72 ships made this voyage during the week between March 30 and April 5. The data showed it was the busiest week since the war began on February 28, although traffic was still 90% below normal volumes.

About 80 percent of those ships were Iran-bound and 13 percent belonged to China, according to Lloyd’s List.

MarineTraffic’s post states that hundreds of ships remain in the area and have been effectively stranded since the start of the war.

Oil analyst Matt Smith of Kpler said traffic had not increased since the ceasefire was declared.

“We can only see 10-15.” [vessels] “Given that Iran is still vetting who is crossing, this would be a similar pace to what has been seen in recent days,” Smith told CNBC.

In a statement, shipping giant Maersk celebrated the ceasefire and the potential for reopening the strait, but said: “Current information and details remain very limited and we are working urgently to obtain further clarity.”

“A ceasefire may create transition opportunities, but it does not yet provide complete maritime certainty and we need to understand all the potential conditions associated with it,” the company said in a statement. The statement was included.

“We are taking a cautious approach at this point and not making any changes to specific services,” he added.