LONDON/HOUSTON, Apr 13 (Reuters) – The United States Army outlined this Monday the limits of its blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, saying that it should be extended eastward to the Gulf of Oman and the Arabian Sea, while maritime tracking data showed that two ships turned back in the waterway as the blockade came into effect.
In a navigational notice about the blockade, adopted in the attempt to regain control of the Strait of Hormuz, the U.S. Central Command stated that ‘any vessel entering or leaving the blocked area without authorization will be subject to interception, rerouting and capture’.
‘The blockade will not impede neutral transit through the Strait of Hormuz destined for or coming from non-Iranian countries,’ the command added.
The blockade began this Monday.
Data from the MarineTraffic tracking service shows that the tanker Rich Starry, which departed this Monday from the Sharjah anchorage off the coast of Dubai, bound for China, turned back minutes after approaching the strait, as did a second ship, the Ostria. These tankers may carry oil and chemicals.
Two Iran-linked oil tankers, however, left the Gulf through the Strait on Monday ahead of the blockade planned by the United States, according to navigation data from Kpler and LSEG.
The Aurora tanker is loaded with Iranian petroleum products, while the New Future tanker carries diesel from the Hamriyah port in the United Arab Emirates, according to Kpler data.
They are among at least eight ships that transited the Strait this Monday before the blockade.
According to Kpler, a petroleum products tanker loaded at a port in the United Arab Emirates and three dry bulk carriers that departed from Iranian ports exited the Strait, while two Pakistani petroleum products tankers and two dry cargo ships entered the Strait.
The U.S. President, Donald Trump, announced the blockade after weekend negotiations to end the six-week war between the United States and Iran failed, causing oil prices to rise above US$100 per barrel.
The blockade increases uncertainty about how ships will transit the waterway, used to move about a fifth of the world’s oil and gas supplies.
The U.S. military note said the blockade should include the entire coastline of Iran, but humanitarian shipments, including food, medical supplies and other essential goods, should be permitted, albeit subject to inspection.
The Secretary-General of the International Maritime Organization, Arsenio Dominguez, told reporters that the U.S. blockade should extend the disruption of ship traffic through the Strait since the start of the conflict.
