42 Ships Cross Strait of Hormuz via Oman Route After Iran Warns Against New Corridor

At least 42 commodity vessels, including oil and gas tankers, crossed the Strait of Hormuz on Thursday using a southern passage hugging the coast of Oman, according to tracking data from Kpler. This comes despite a warning from Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) that the route is unauthorised, and a projectile attack on a Singapore-flagged container ship on the same day.

The number of crossings on Thursday was down from a high of 57 on Wednesday. Ten of the vessels entered the Gulf, while 32 exited. Half of the 42 ships used the Omani route. By Friday afternoon, another 29 commodity vessels had crossed, with 17 using the same passageway, Kpler data showed.

The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) centre reported that a container ship was struck while using the Omani passage on Thursday. Despite this, Marine Traffic recorded around 15 tankers and cargo vessels crossing the strait between 1410 GMT and midnight on Thursday.

The IRGC said on Thursday that Oman and the International Maritime Organization (IMO) had announced the new corridor without consulting Tehran. “The only authorised transit routes through the Strait of Hormuz are those designated by the Islamic Republic of Iran,” the IRGC warned, urging vessels to avoid the Omani route.

The attack forced the suspension of an IMO programme to evacuate about 11,000 mariners stranded by the closure of the strait. The IMO said Friday that around 115 vessels and 2,500 seafarers had been evacuated since Tuesday before the operation was paused. IMO Secretary-General Arsenio Dominguez said the decision to pause evacuations followed consultations with some countries, particularly in the region.

Since June 15, traffic through the strait—which normally sees about one-fifth of the world's oil and gas exports—has been steadily increasing. Wednesday recorded 70 confirmed crossings by all vessels, compared with about 125 transits in peacetime, according to Kpler.

The price of Brent North Sea crude oil dropped more than five percent on Friday amid optimism over the strait reopening. However, experts cautioned against declaring the crisis over. Richard Meade, editor-in-chief of shipping journal Lloyd's List, said, “What we are witnessing is a ceasefire-driven release of pent-up demand—a ketchup-bottle burst of tonnage. The Strait of Hormuz may be busier, but it is not safer. Until the terms of any post-ceasefire regime are known—and respected—the idea of a return to normality remains more hope than forecast.”