Ships Refuse US Military Escort as Hormuz Traffic Drops

Strait of Hormuz, July 15. Some commercial ship operators are turning down US military escort for passages through the strait, Reuters reported, citing industry sources. The refusals come as traffic through the waterway has continued to thin.

The US military reinstated a naval blockade of Iranian shipping on July 14 and offered escorted transits for non-Iranian ships. Al Jazeera confirmed the order went into effect at 20:00 GMT that evening. Since then, according to Reuters, a number of operators have declined the offer.

Traffic through Hormuz had already fallen sharply in the weeks before. A succession of attacks on commercial ships starting in early July, followed by US retaliatory strikes and an Iranian declaration that the strait was closed, led many operators to reroute or hold voyages.

No breakdown of which ships or flags declined the escort has been confirmed. Reuters described the scale of refusals as notable. The strait, which connects the Persian Gulf to the Gulf of Oman, is one of the world's most critical passages for oil and gas cargoes.