Navigation remains blocked through Strait of Hormuz

The supposed opening of the Strait of Hormuz, announced at the beginning of the weekend, proved short-lived.

BIMCO had already warned: “The announcement from 17 April at around 1400 GMT by US President Donald Trump that the Strait of Hormuz is fully open is inaccurate. The status of mine threats in the Traffic Separation Scheme is unclear and BIMCO believes shipping companies should consider avoiding the area. This means that the TSS is not declared safe for transit at this point.”

IMO Secretary-General Arsenio Dominguez also posted on X: “We are currently verifying the recent announcement related to the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, in terms of its compliance with freedom of navigation for all merchant vessels and secure passage using the IMO established traffic separation scheme.”

Iran has since declared it has closed the Strait again because the US naval blockade of Iranian ports remains in place, with ships near the Strait reporting attacks one more. An Iranian merchant ship was reported to have been seized by a US Navy vessel after it allegedly failed to stop, its engine room being hit.