DUBAI — The first ships passed through the Strait of Hormuz Wednesday following a US-Iran ceasefire agreement to unblock the vital waterway, according to a marine trafficking monitor. “Hundreds of vessels remain in the region, including 426 tankers, 34 LPG carriers, and 19 LNG vessels, many of which had been effectively stranded during the disruption,” Marine Traffic said in a post on social media. The Greek-owned bulk carrier NJ Earth crossed the Strait at 08:44 UTC while the Liberia-flagged Daytona Beach transited earlier at 06:59 UTC, shortly after leaving Bandar Abbas. The two-week ceasefire has not yet brought enough clarity for Norwegian ships to resume sailings through the Strait of Hormuz, the Norwegian Shipowners’ Association said. The industry group, representing 130 companies with some 1,500 vessels globally, said the security situation in the Gulf remains uncertain and owners are seeking further information. “We note the signals of a ceasefire, but the situation in the Strait of Hormuz remains unresolved and unpredictable,” the group’s CEO Knut Arild Hareide said in a statement. “It is not yet clear under what conditions safe transit can be carried out. Shipowners are assessing the situation and will not resume transits until there is real security for safe passage,” Hareide said. Earlier, Denmark’s Maersk shipping company also said the ceasefire announcement did not yet provide enough certainty to resume normal operations in the area. The European Commission declined to comment on possible future steps to secure traffic in the Strait of Hormuz at this stage of the ceasefire between the United States and Iran. “We have the news of the ceasefire. We’re welcoming it. As the High Representative (Kaja Kallas) has said, we have a window in terms of mediation that needs to stay open and then we take it from there”, EU spokesperson Anouar El Anouni said during a daily press briefing. He stressed the Strait of Hormuz was a global “public good” that should remain open for all. British Prime Minister Keir Starmer would travel to the Gulf on Wednesday to hold talks with regional leaders to try to ensure the Strait of Hormuz opens permanently after the US-Iran ceasefire, his office said. “I welcome the ceasefire agreement reached overnight, which will bring a moment of relief to the region and the world,” Starmer said in a statement. “Together with our partners we must do all we can to support and sustain this ceasefire, turn it into a lasting agreement and re-open the Strait of Hormuz.” Starmer, who has been heavily criticised by President Trump for failing to support the US and Israeli strikes on Iran, has hosted multinational meetings on how allies could support the reopening of the key waterway. The British statement said Starmer would discuss diplomatic efforts to “support and uphold the ceasefire in order to bring about a lasting resolution to the conflict and protect the UK and global economy from further threats”. Starmer’s visit to the region had been planned before the ceasefire was announced. British Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper also spoke to her US counterpart, Marco Rubio, on Tuesday, when they discussed diplomatic measures to secure the reopening of the Strait, including last week’s UK-led meeting which brought together over 40 countries to discuss the issue. — Agencies
Keep Up to Date with our Weekly Newsletter
