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Shipowners Stay Cautious on Sending Vessels Through Hormuz
Iran Announces Permit System for Strait
Shipping companies remain cautious about sending vessels through the Strait of Hormuz, despite signs that Iran may be willing to reopen the channel.
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said May 6 that “safe, stable passage” through the waterway — a vital passage for oil supply — will be possible with “new protocols in place.” That came soon after a report that the U.S. had proposed a peace deal, which Tehran is now considering.
Details of the demands or restrictions Iran intends impose on shipping, and whether the U.S. will accept them, remain unclear.
“The shipowners I’ve spoken to have said they’ll believe it when they see it,” Halvor Ellefsen, a London-based director at Fearnleys Shipbrokers UK Ltd., said of the possibility of Hormuz traffic resuming. “It’s not the first time there have been public statements that were encouraging, only for them not to materialize.”
The reopening of Hormuz is critical for the global oil market and the wider economy. Its effective closure has choked off hundreds of millions of barrels of supply and driven a surge in prices. U.S. gasoline this week topped $4.50 a gallon for the first time since 2022.
Iranian media reported May 4 that shipowners need to send an email to an organization called the Persian Gulf Strait Authority if they want to send ships through the waterway. A form sent to applicants for transit through the strait from the organization’s email address, seen by Bloomberg, asks for details of the ship’s destination, origin country, current and previous flag registration, the value of its cargo and the nationalities of its crew.
Iran has announced a new permit system for the Strait of Hormuz under a so-called Persian Gulf Strait Authority. Tehran accuses Gulf states of aiding US and Israeli attacks but says it remains open to talks.
Al Jazeera’s Almigdad Alruhaid reports. pic.twitter.com/Ocurzqdxm0 — Al Jazeera English (@AJEnglish) May 5, 2026
Five industry executives, including shipowners, vessel managers and security consultants, said that it was too soon — and too unclear — for crossings to resume. Two cited an attack on a containership May 5 as one reason to be wary.
An official at one tanker company said they wouldn’t contact Iran for permission to transit, because they were wary about giving the authorities precise details of vessel movements.
International shipping association Bimco said it would need official confirmation of any new rules of transit before issuing any update of its safety guidance.
It’s still possible some shipowners will view the IRGC pronouncement as an opportunity to attempt passage.
The last time that public statements from Iran suggested an easing of tension, multiple ships tried to attempt transit, only to U-turn when it became clear that the waterway remained unsafe.
There was no immediate uptick in traffic observed on May 6, although any increase can take a few hours to emerge in ship-tracking data.
Written by Alaric Nightingale, Weilun Soon and Grant Smith
