Three large Omani-flagged vessels have been spotted passing through the Strait of Hormuz using the conventional shipping lane rather than the route controlled by Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), as Iran and Oman negotiate rules governing vessel transit through the strait. The ships included the first liquefied natural gas (LNG) carrier to pass through the Gulf since the war began.
Two very large crude carriers (VLCCs) and one LNG carrier entered the Strait of Hormuz, Bloomberg reported Monday. All three vessels are owned by Oman Ship Management Company (OSC), a state-owned shipping firm, according to online maritime data system Equasis.
Notably, the ships traveled near the conventional lane designated by the International Maritime Organization (IMO) rather than the "northern route" — dubbed the "Iran tollgate" — where the IRGC has been guiding vessels. Bloomberg reported the previous day that the IRGC has been collecting transit fees of at least $1 per barrel after negotiating with ships through intermediaries. When a deal is reached, the IRGC guides vessels along a route passing inside Larak Island. This channel is closer to Iran but narrower and shallower — a configuration interpreted as designed to give Iran greater control.
The ships turned off their Automatic Identification System (AIS) transponders as they passed Oman's Musandam Peninsula, making it impossible to confirm whether they completed the transit successfully. If the vessels did pass through safely, the transit may have been facilitated by the rules Iran and Oman are currently negotiating. Kazem Gharibabadi, Iran's deputy foreign minister for legal and international organization affairs, told Russia's Sputnik news agency that "new rules to monitor vessel traffic in the Strait of Hormuz are being drafted together with Oman." However, Oman faces Iran directly across the strait, and Iran has long regarded Oman as a stakeholder in strait transit. This gives Iran sufficient reason to take a more conciliatory stance toward Oman compared to U.S. allies or Middle Eastern nations Iran has been targeting.
The LNG carrier appeared to be empty, but Bloomberg reported it is expected to become the first LNG carrier to exit the Gulf since the outbreak of the war. Not a single LNG carrier passed through the Strait of Hormuz last month, according to ship-tracking site TankerTrackers.com. The strait is a critical shipping corridor through which 20% of the world's LNG supply passes. A resumption of LNG shipments could affect natural gas prices, which have surged.
Among the vessels, one tanker was identified as departing from Saudi Arabia and the other from Abu Dhabi.