Scouring The Strait Of Hormuz For Mines Could Take Weeks

LONDON, June 15 (Reuters) – Ensuring the Strait of Hormuz is protected from mines could delay the return to normal ship traffic by weeks following an agreement to reopen the waterway, shipping and maritime security sources say.

The operation, carried out by conventional minesweepers and state-of-the-art underwater drones, could continue for another 40 to 50 days before many insurance, shipping or oil companies are confident enough to set out, according to assessments by five Western maritime security sources.

This could potentially hold tens of millions of barrels of oil, according to estimates based on pre-war flows, in addition to oil supplies from the Gulf since the US and Israel attacked Iran on February 28.

Every barrel of exports from the Gulf is vital, given that stockpiles in the world’s largest economies are trending toward their lowest levels since at least 2003, according to an analysis by the U.S. Energy Information Administration last week.

While Iran and the United States have quietly helped ships pass through the blockaded waterway in recent weeks, shipping officials continued to urge caution after the United States and Iran said on Sunday they had reached a preliminary agreement to end their war and reopen the strait.

“We still think it is too risky for ships to start transiting at this point,” said Jakob Larsen, head of safety and security at maritime union BIMCO.

“The mine threat in the region remains a concern both immediately and in the future, and mine-free routes need to be established.”

It is not clear how many mines Iran, which provided 20% of the world’s daily oil and liquefied natural gas supply before the war, may have laid in the strait.

Iran, which has sought to assert its control over the waterway during the war, has threatened to deploy naval mines but has not commented on whether its own forces have deployed mines.

The USA stated that mines pose a risk and announced that it targeted Iran’s mine-laying boats.

On June 2, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio told a Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing that Iran had “mined a large portion of Hormuz – in international waters” – without elaborating further.

In a note dated June 11, the German navy stated that, based on information received from the US and British navies, there were mines at four points around the strait, adding that the mine locations could not be confirmed by Germany.

Even the prospect of mining can deter companies. A supertanker and its cargo of crude oil is worth about $300 million, so war risk insurers and oil and tanker companies will need assurances that passage is safe before attempting to pass through the strait, shipping industry officials said.

“One sea mine is enough to cause deaths,” said Rene Kofod-Olsen, CEO of V.Group, one of the world’s best technical ship and crew management experts, which has 13 ships stranded in the Gulf.

“This is obviously a huge problem for global shipping,” he said.

When asked last week how many mines had been laid and their locations, a spokesman for the US military’s Central Command (Centcom) said he could not discuss details publicly for operational security reasons.

“US military efforts continue to ensure that the Strait of Hormuz is completely cleared of naval mines laid by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps,” officials said.

The White House did not respond to requests for comment.

Oman’s Maritime Security Center warned sailors sailing on its side of the strait to be careful on May 30, after announcing the sighting of “an object suspected to be a floating mine”.

Oman’s information ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

While Iran and the United States negotiated an interim agreement to stop the war, both sides allowed some ships to exit the strait.

US President Donald Trump said last week that the US had extracted millions of barrels of oil, and Reuters reported in May how some states had made deals with Tehran to secure the passage of ships.

According to shipping data, which can be verified when ships become visible after leaving the strait, the number of ships passing through the strait has increased to an average of 12 to 15 ships per day in recent weeks. But this is a tiny fraction of the 120 to 140 ships that passed through the waterway every day before the war.

In March, before a tenuous ceasefire agreement between the United States and Iran, Iran’s National Defense Council said any attempt by the “enemy” to target Iran’s coast or islands would lead to the digging of access routes and lines of communication across the Gulf, according to Iran’s semi-official Fars news agency.

It was stated that the measures will include various sea mines, including floating mines that can be launched from the shore.

Iran’s foreign ministry did not respond to a request for comment.

Britain, France and Germany have sent warships and minesweepers to the Middle East in anticipation of a potential mine-clearing operation.

Corey Ranslem, chief executive of maritime security group Dryad Global, said Iran is estimated to have up to 1,000 naval mines even after US strikes aimed at destroying Iran’s military capabilities, including mine-laying ships and stockpiles.

“If a minefield is detected, it could take weeks or months to eliminate the threat,” he said.

Arsenio Dominguez, the head of the U.N. maritime agency, on Monday welcomed the agreement to reopen Hormuz as “an important step towards restoring security in this vital maritime corridor for sailors and ships.”

“However, its implementation will require time to ensure that all necessary safety and security guarantees are in place,” he said.

(Reporting by Jonathan Saul and Sabine Siebold, additional reporting by Michel Rose, John Irish, Renee Maltezou, Parisa Hafezi and Andrew Mills, Editing by Rachel Armstrong and Aidan Lewis)