TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - More than 20 ships have passed through the Strait of Hormuz despite a US military blockade over the past 24 hours, according to a report by The Wall Street Journal on Tuesday, citing US officials, as reported by Antara.
The vessels included cargo ships, container ships, and tankers entering and exiting the Persian Gulf, as vessels not bound for Iranian ports are exempt from the blockade and allowed to pass freely, according to the report.
Some of them reportedly sailed with their transponders turned off to reduce the risk of potential Iranian attacks.
However, several vessels taking that route later turned back, according to maritime tracking data on Tuesday, as reported by CNA.
They were among at least seven Iran-linked vessels that passed through the strait after Washington's blockade went into effect at 14:00 GMT (9:00 p.m. WIB) on Monday, according to maritime data provider Kpler.
The Liberian-flagged bulk carrier Christianna passed through the Strait of Hormuz after unloading 74,000 tons of corn at the Bandar Imam Khomeini port in Iran's Gulf. The ship passed Iran's Larak Island in the strait around 16:00 GMT on Monday, according to Kpler data.
A second vessel, the Comoros-flagged tanker Elpis, was near Larak Island around 11:00 GMT and left the strait around 16:00 GMT.
The ship was loaded with 31,000 tons of methanol, having left the Persian Gulf port of Bushehr on March 31, according to Kpler data.
The tracker indicates that other vessels passing through included the Argo Maris, which also sailed from Iran.
Maritime analysts have warned in recent weeks that the conflict around the Strait of Hormuz has caused ship signals in the region to be disrupted and manipulated, making precise and comprehensive tracking difficult.
Traffic Continues
Ship traffic continues through the Strait of Hormuz while the US Navy implements a blockade against Iranian restrictions on the strategic waterway.
Since the blockade began on Monday at 17:30 local time in Iran as reported by Anadolu, 14 ships have entered the Gulf and seven ships have exited the Strait of Hormuz during this period.
A total of 21 ships have passed through the Strait of Hormuz, while 13 ships remained there until 1300 GMT on Tuesday, according to relevant Anadolu statistics.
Four of these ships are tankers, including the Liberian-flagged dry bulk cargo ship, Christianna, US-sanctioned oil tankers, Rich Starry, and Murlikishan, and the Panama-flagged, Peace Gulf.
As of Tuesday, around 2,000 ships were trapped on the Gulf side, and about 400 ships were waiting to enter the Gulf via Hormuz.
Data from MarineTraffic shows that US-sanctioned ships have also crossed the strait.
The US Navy reportedly built the blockade along the line between the Gulf of Gwadar and Ras al Hadd, where heavy ship traffic has continued since the operation began.
TankerTraffic states that some ships broadcast false automatic identification system (AIS) signals to hide their identities.
US Claims Blockade Still in Place
The Iranian forces effectively closed the Strait of Hormuz after the US-Israeli attack on Iran on February 28.
The US announced their own blockade on Sunday after peaceful talks with Iran failed.
The US military said on Tuesday that their blockade is still in place and has prevented six ships from sailing out of the Iranian ports outside the Gulf for the first 24 hours.
"No ships made it past the US blockade and six merchant vessels complied with direction from US forces to turn around to re-enter an Iranian port on the Gulf of Oman," said the CENTCOM regional command in a post on X.
It was stated that the blockade is "being enforced impartially against vessels of all nations entering or departing Iranian ports and coastal areas, including all Iranian ports on the Arabian Gulf and Gulf of Oman".
The AIS transponder signal of the Elpis ship seemed to sound at 23:00 GMT on Monday after crossing the strait, and its location on Tuesday could not be determined.
Chinese Tanker Reverses Course
A Chinese tanker, Rich Starry, also crossed the strait overnight from Monday to Tuesday via an approved inspection route by Iran south of Larak Island.
Kpler said the ship was carrying 31,500 tons of methanol and heading to Sohar in Oman, according to its transponder data.
The ship reversed course while in the Gulf of Oman around 11:00 GMT on Tuesday and returned to the Strait of Hormuz, its destination unknown.
The Christianna ship reversed course off the coast of Oman, its destination, around 15:00 GMT. Its new destination is also unknown.
Other ships that crossed the strait are the bulk carrier Manali, which had previously traded with Iran. Two other ships are Iranian-flagged: the container ship Kashan, which is under US sanctions, and Moshtari, a cargo ship that then headed to an Iranian port in the strait.
Rich Starry and Elpis are listed by the US Office of Foreign Assets Control as sanctioned entities due to their involvement with Iran.
Editor's Note: This news has been updated in 10:56 AM WIB (Western Indonesian Time)
Read: FAO: World Faces 'Catastrophe' if Hormuz Stays Disrupted
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