Hapag-Lloyd Comments on Strait of Hormuz Situation
German shipping company Hapag-Lloyd stated on Sunday that chaos in the Strait of Hormuz has become the “new normal,” amidst ongoing concerns of potential Iranian attacks. This comes even after a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) was established between Tehran and the United States aimed at reopening the strait.
“Things have been changing rapidly for us since the conflict began,” noted Hapag-Lloyd spokesperson Hanja Maria Richter.
She elaborated that they regularly assess risks and the situation with their security partners and all relevant authorities, taking into account the unique challenges faced by ships traversing the area. Each vessel and crew is evaluated individually given the conflict status.
Lloyd’s List provided an even bleaker overview, explaining that “a chaotic two-tier system currently operates in the Straits,” split between a route controlled by Iran and another protected by the U.S.
Attention — Prepare to board! Vessels possibly linked to Iran have been seized.
Lloyd’s List mentioned that the pre-war route through the Strait of Hormuz has become “unusable” due to Iranian mining activities.
According to reports, merchant traffic through the strait has decreased by nearly 80% after Iran’s attacks on two commercial vessels, prompting U.S. military responses against Iranian targets.
On June 24, traffic peaked at 58 ships, but this figure is still far below the more than 120 vessels that used the strait daily prior to late February’s operations. As of Saturday, only 24 ships were reported, dropping to just 12 on Sunday following recent Iranian attacks.
Michel Wiese Bockmann, a maritime intelligence analyst at Windward, remarked that “the shipping sector is essentially caught in the crossfire as the U.S. and Iran vie for influence over the Strait of Hormuz, which does little to bolster confidence regarding safety measures for stranded vessels.”
The UN’s International Maritime Organization (IMO) stated that Iran’s tactics seem effective, resulting in the suspension of plans to evacuate vessels from the Persian Gulf without a set resumption date.
Moreover, Windward noted that while a U.S.-backed southern corridor remains operational, much of the maritime traffic has shifted north, with daily activity now about 90% lower than pre-conflict levels.
Windward also observed that Iranian oil tankers are loading at the Kharg Island terminal, suggesting minimal trouble in transporting them across the former U.S. blockade line. The U.S. had previously agreed to lift the blockade and remove sanctions tied to Iran’s oil trade.
Reports indicated that simultaneous loading resumed at the Kharg terminal for the first time in several days, with numerous tankers showing signs of Iranian crude oil export activities.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi made a somewhat confusing statement, promising to honor Tehran’s commitment to reopen the strait while suggesting that this would mean placing it under Iranian control.
During a press conference with the Iraqi Foreign Minister, Araghchi emphasized that the Strait of Hormuz would return to its pre-war capabilities within 30 days, contingent on Iran’s removal of certain obstacles, which he suggested would occur under Iran’s control.
While it appears straightforward for Iran to cease attacks on civilian ships, Araghchi defended such actions, alleging they are justified due to U.S. obstructions of Iran’s self-proclaimed rights over the strait.
He called on all involved to respect the MOU and refrain from actions that could disrupt the agreement, cautioning that any interference could complicate the situation further and prolong the return to normalcy in the strait.
