Limited ship movements in Hormuz as tensions persist
Commercial shipping activity remained limited around the Strait of Hormuz on Thursday morning, according to vessel-monitoring data, as uncertainty continued over a possible ceasefire arrangement between the United States and Iran, News.Az reports, citing Anadolu Agency.
In the past 24 hours as of 0900 GMT, five vessels were recorded traveling from the Arabian Gulf toward the Gulf of Oman, while six others were moving in the opposite direction.
West-to-east traffic included the bulk carrier Ascanio en route to Shinas in Oman, the Panama-flagged LPG tanker Sevan heading to Sharjah in the United Arab Emirates, the bulk carrier LB Energy sailing toward Santos in Brazil, the crude oil tanker Atlantis II bound for Ras Al Kuh in Iran, and Nezami Ganjavi 6, which was listed near the Khor Fakkan anchorage in Iran.
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In the opposite direction, vessels included Harapan Perdana IX, Polaris heading toward Hamriyah Free Zone Port in the UAE, the Bahamas-flagged oil and chemical tanker Musik en route to Sharjah, the general cargo vessel Jin Zeng 5 sailing toward Mukalla in southeastern Yemen, Arad 10 with Bandar Charak in Iran listed as its destination, and Epaminondas, which was shown near Mundra in India.
Separately, some of the vessels appear in sanctions-related databases. VesselFinder identifies Atlantis II as being subject to US Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) sanctions, while records from the Danish Maritime Authority indicate that Nizami Ganjavi is an EU-sanctioned vessel.
Most of the vessels mentioned were marked as in transit, while others were listed as anchored or without a defined navigation status.
On Wednesday, Iranian forces said the vessels had been attempting to exit the strait “covertly” and were intercepted based on intelligence monitoring.
Meanwhile, the US Central Command (CENTCOM) announced on Thursday that US forces had directed 31 vessels to turn around or return to port as part of Washington’s naval blockade of Iranian ports.
CENTCOM also reported intercepting two Iranian oil supertankers, Hedy and Hero II, which had attempted to evade the blockade.
US President Donald Trump on Tuesday extended the two-week ceasefire with Iran to allow Tehran additional time to prepare what he described as a “unified proposal,” following a request from Pakistani officials.
The diplomatic effort led by Islamabad aims to facilitate a second round of US-Iran negotiations expected to be held soon in the Pakistani capital.
By Nijat Babayev
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